Belladonna
by wheatieflakes
Summary: What happens in this urban mindset? With two sisters, romances in the air, witches, magic, and treachery, there is plenty of room for mystery and drama in this town. There's something dark in Belladonna.
1. Prologue

_A/N: This is updated. AGAIN this is updated. No, last time, it's updated. NOTHING PICKS UP. So I'm doing X's. STAB ME WITH A FORK._

XX

Prologue: An Introduction

Samantha Cordial, or Sam, as she preferred to go by, buried her head in her hands as her sister grabbed her coat and ran out of the house. When they were younger, their rivalry wasn't this… _intense, _she supposed. It was constant, but it was light. Now it was bipolar – a fantastic friendship at points, but a terrible blow up when they got mad.

Sam looked up and rubbed her temples, glancing at the clock. It was almost seven in the evening. She had a strange hankering to invite over her new friend, Phoebe. Whenever she was around her, Sam had the strangest feelings – a feeling of peace, happiness, and prosperity. She was a better person around Phoebe. She worried that Kim's new friend, Frances, did the opposite.

She heard the car they shared start out of the driveway, tires screeching as it left the house. Sam made her way to the kitchen cabinet and took two painkillers for her headache. She hated fighting. When she was younger, a little rivalry had made her life interesting. But Phoebe told her how this was bad and made her a worse person.

Sam picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Phoebe? Look, my sister just left… do you want to come over?"

XX

Kimberly Cordial, or Kim, as she had insisted people call her, slammed her fists on the steering wheel, her green eyes filling with tears. It just wasn't _fair_. Even as a fully-grown adult, she had to feel worse than Sam. Of course her mascara was going to streak. _Ugh. _

"Get a grip, Kimmy. We need to calm down," she told herself, a habit she had picked up when she was a teen. She turned on the radio as it started to rain. Living in Belladonna Cove was supposed to be urban and glamorous but in reality it _sucked. _

Her thin wrists bore a significant amount of bracelets but she threw them off. All gifts from perfect Sam. She loved her to death, but sometimes, she could be infuriating.

She thought about calling up Frances, but she stopped. Every time she was around her a feeling burned in her heart telling her to get away. But she couldn't. Frances was just too fascinating.

"God, I should get home," she said out loud, the radio playing a popular song. Its bass shook her stationary car that she had veered onto the side of the road. Then she realized where she was: she was in the heart of Belladonna. "But a little drink wouldn't hurt, right?" She could almost predict the slurs that would occur.

XX

Tara DeBateau was lying on her bed, her iPod on full blast. It played the popular techno song that was all the rage… She tapped her chin, trying to put a finger on the name of the song.

The speakers her father had got her shook her room. She reached out to turn it down and succeeded, her bangs clouding her vision just a little. Once it was at an acceptable level, she got up and went to her bedroom to examine her new haircut. She'd only gotten a trim, of course, but it was significant enough for her friend to notice, Justin. What a nice kid, she thought.

She examined her makeup and decided her appearance was acceptable. Tara didn't think she was unattractive, by any means, but definitely didn't think boys sought after her.

"College," a familiar voice said, knocking on the frame of the bathroom door. It was open, so it wasn't creepy or anything, but her father was always polite. Always careful. "That's when boys will like you."

"Daddy! You're back from work early," she said, a smile on her face as she ran up to hug her blonde, aging father. He clutched her head and held her close. "Oh my Creator, there is so much gossip that happened at school today, you wouldn't believe!"

He smiled and let go of her. "Would you like to have a real dinner tonight aside from those stupid frozen dinners you've been eating? I'm so sorry, but there's a business deal – "

" – you have to close, daddy. I know. It's fine. But… it's too late to make something. We should order pizza," she said, nodding assertively and stalking to her bedroom to grab her phone. "What do you want on it?"

They both smiled at each other while saying in unison, "Double cheese and hamburger."

XX

"Ew, Marcus, that's disgusting," Sofia Baldwin quipped as her little brother threw baby food at his mother. The redheaded woman froze and turned to stare at him. Most parents would blow up if their child threw food, but Isabel loved it. Her husband chuckled and continued consuming their meal of mac and cheese. Sofia was on a cheese-only diet lately, and that's how they were getting her to eat.

"Oh, honey, he doesn't know any better," Isabel said, getting up to clean off her dress. Benjamin picked up the dirty toddler and brought him to the sink along with her to wash him off. "You used to be just like that."

"But prettier, right?" Sofia said, drinking her glass of milk. Marcus kicked as Benjamin took off his jacket and threw on the counter to wash later.

"Of course, darling," Isabel said, relenting and taking off her dinner jacket she'd put over her expensive black dress, just for events like this. "Oh, no, honey, I forgot, Carlos is coming over tonight."

Benjamin raised an eyebrow, amusing as always, and said, "Why?"

"Because we invited him last Sunday," she reminded him softly. "Oh, goodness, what if he sees this mess – "

Benjamin put the toddler back in his chair and sat back down just as the doorbell rang. Isabel sped to the door and opened it to see her uncle, Carlos Contender.

So maybe Uncle Carlos wasn't so bad, but Benjamin definitely had respect for him. Benjamin had an issue talking to him straightly, even though she knew if he did, Carlos wouldn't rebuff him. Isabel greeted him and invited him inside.

"I didn't realize this was a classy occasion," he said sadly. "I would have cracked out the old suit and tie, now, wouldn't I have, Izzy?"

Isabel nodded and smiled. "Have a seat."

Sofia perked up and sat at the edge of her chair. "Hey, Uncle Carlos!" she said. "Did you hear that I have a B in math right now? It's a new high for me!"

"That's great, sweetheart," he said, taking a seat. "Oh, is macaroni and cheese the new fancy meal, Izzy?"

"Sofia's refusing to eat anything without cheese," she said tiredly. He nodded, smiling widely. She understood why he was the most respected person in Belladonna. He was simply so nice.

"You know what happens to little girls who eat too much cheese, right?" he asked. Sofia widened her eyes and looked at him.

"What?"

"They have trouble – " he looked both ways, as if to hide a big secret, " – in the bathroom." She giggled and took another bite of macaroni as Isabel set a bowl of mac and cheese in front of him. Benjamin tried to feed Marcus something, but he wasn't having it. "So, Benjamin, how's the old job? Making new scientific inventions, like a new ticker for me?"

"Are you having issues with your heart, Uncle Carlos?" Isabel asked. He chuckled and shook his head, taking a bite of macaroni.

"Just curious. But seriously, Benjamin, are you taking enough time off? An esteemed inventor like you should relax every once in a while, you know? Spend time with the people who matter most?"

Sofia crossed her arms. "Did you hear how I'm the second best in my ballet class? Only second to that stupid Riley. She's not even as good as me!"

Carlos chuckled and started engaging the girl in conversation. Marcus started to babble and reach for Isabel. She picked him up and held him, bouncing him every so often.

She even spied Benjamin cracking a smile.

XX

Kimberly stumbled in to a party of sorts, Samantha with Phoebe and two friends over. Sam cursed under her breath and ran up to her soaking wet and visibly drunk sister.

"Who's over? Is it a party?" she slurred, giggling ridiculously. "I love this song! It was on in the car. On and On or whatever it is." She laughed again.

"Come on, we're going upstairs," Sam whispered to Kim and she dragged her sister upstairs. Tucking her into bed, she heard Kim muttering something.

"Who were those guys?"

"Connor and Geoff," she replied simply, taking off her sister's boots and jacket. "Just go to sleep, Kim."

"Okay, Sammy-Wammy," she replied, giggling some more before her eyes closed.


	2. Chapter 1: Pretty People

Chapter 1

Tara got up and got dressed for school. Her favorite black and white dress was her Wednesday outfit. It gave her day a boost.

Running a comb through her red hair, she knew that she might be late for school. Her alarm was never loud enough for such a heavy sleeper. She stuck her toothbrush in her mouth and began scrubbing. Her mind flitted, wondering where her backpack was, if she could grab a snack before school, if today first period was Independent Study where that hunk of a junior sat in front of her…

The bus's horn honked, waking Tara out of her reverie and back on task. She spat out her toothpaste and grabbed her backpack and phone from beside her bedside table. Speedily walking to the kitchen, she grabbed a paper sack her father had packed for her – she hated school lunches – and slipped her feet into her boots.

Her smiling father met her with a cup of coffee. "No gym today?"

"No gym today," she affirmed, knowing if she had gym, she would have to bring clothes to change into.

"All your homework?"

"Done to the best of my ability," she replied, smiling at her father. He tossed her a granola bar.

"Have a fantastic day, sweetie," he said, pecking her on the cheek. "Remember you have to help Justin study!"

"Bye, daddy!" she called back, skipping out the door and down the stairs to the bus.

Justin was already there, sitting in the front row again. _What a nerd, _she thought. "Come on, Justin," she called.

He had brown hair, a sweater, and a Freezer Bunny backpack. Justin Cleveland was the biggest of the nerds. Tara supposed he was cute in a nerdy way, but still.

"But I like sitting at the front of the bus," he murmured.

"The little kids sit at the front of the bus," she reminded him, eyeing two girls who were glaring at each other. She recognized one: little Sofia Baldwin. "Hey, Sofia."

"Hey," she said sulkily, glaring at the girl with wavy hair. She had a tank top and jeans on, an outfit that looked a little too cold for September. But Tara decided she couldn't judge, considering what she was wearing. She proceeded, Justin following closely, and grabbed a seat towards the middle back.

"This, Justin, is a non-nerdy seat to sit in," she said. Justin took the seat opposite her and she took out a book she was reading: _Murder in Pleasantview. _It was a new book by a young author who seemed to hold some promise. Something dark and gothic about a mother that had died. It was right up Tara's alley.

She was enthralled in it and Justin had to call her name about three times before he got through to her.

"Tara! Hey, Tara, come on, I need – "

The bus came to a stop and the driver, a fierce blonde woman, yelled at them to get out. The little kids, all of which were scared of her, immediately started filing. As she and Justin got up, however, they were stopped.

Tara sighed. The townies were pieces of work. All living in the downtown area, hence their name, they held average grades and boring jobs that caused them to be completely mediocre. Some of them were great, like Tara's friends, but some of them…

"Hey, loser!" Heath Butler, the head of the crew that had something major against Justin, shouted. "Heads up!"

A wadded up piece of notebook paper pelted his head. Justin frowned and unrolled it. A rude picture of a plumbbob shoved up somewhere unsavory greeted him. Tara rolled her eyes at Heath. What was his deal, anyway? He really needed to get a life.

The two ignored him and walked off the bus. As she hit the ground, she saw a group of her friends and a group of his friends. "See you in English, Justin," she said, waving and walking off toward her two best friends, Elizabeth and Zoe.

XX

Vivian was about to scream. Being unhappy with her life was an understatement.

She'd always thought kids would make her life completely amazing. Sure, being the top of her private high school was nice. Being co-valedictorian at Harvard, only second to her husband, Etokas, was really cool too. And the idea falling in love and all of the things that go along with that sounded fantastic. But that was all her parents' dream.

Etokas was a good guy, but, to put it bluntly, he wasn't Vivan's type. He was absolutely enthralled with learning new things, always gazing at a telescope or something stupid like that.

Was that so hard? Oh, wait, yes it was, because a kid really took away time from training and studying, since one has to work for their parents' career choice track, being a doctor, then come home to a squalling two year old and having to take care of her…

Okay, so a child wasn't the solution. But if her child was well behaved, like that darling girl down the hall…

She phoned the nanny and made arrangements just as the car was coming in the driveway. Vivian sighed. This meant she would be late – again.

Her doorbell rang, to top it all off. A feeling of helpless anger formed in her stomach. What was the problem with being able to have a day go well? Etsu threw her cereal off of her chair. Vivian couldn't help herself: she screamed.

Realizing the nanny was still on the phone, she quickly apologized and went to the door.

"Is – is everything all right?"

_Oh… hello there. _

And that was how Vivian's rebirth, to put it differently, started. The man's name was Timothy Riley, and he had a daughter – the perfect daughter down the hall – named Sally, who had beautiful curly brown hair.

And Timothy was rather attractive himself.

Just like in the past, the doorbell rang again. The nanny wasn't on the line this time. There was no need for a nanny.

"Hello there, beautiful," he greeted, his perfect smile on his lips. She smirked back at him. "So will you be home around two?"

"I think so," she replied cordially. "And then we can take Etsu and Sally to the park, do you think?"

He winked at her. "That sounds fantastic. See you in a bit."

XX

Justin paced back and forth. He had a free the first hour in school, and so did most of his friends. They spent it in the computer lab, usually playing World of Simcraft or some other roleplaying game with wizards and magical beings, but today Justin just couldn't.

"Creator, I lost my nerve!" he shouted, pacing faster. His friend Simon Brown nodded, sitting on the chair backwards. His other friend, Ratna Jayapalan, a second-generation Indian boy who delivered newspapers, took out his reading glasses and looked over the note that Justin had given him. "I can't think around her!"

"Get a life," Lilly Seavey, the only girl on the robotics team, snorted. "She's not even that cute."

Andrzej Harris, an exchange student, shrugged. "She is rather… attractive, compared to you, Lee-lee." His accent gave his I's an elongated sound to them. "Are redheads considered attractive here, Justin?"

"This note is ridiculous. It makes you sound like a computer nerd stalker," Ratna said, pushing his black hair back. Simon shot him a look.

"That's what he _is, _Ratna. No need to lie about things like this.

Lilly pushed her chair back and stalked out of the room. "This is ridiculous. I come down here to play nerdy games and all you do is talk about love. And you think I'm cynical."

She walked out of the room. Simon started laughing with Ratna. Justin gave them a look.

"Guys, this is serious!" he begged. "I am literally in love with this girl and all I want to do is ask her on a date! Is that too much to ask?"

Ratna shrugged. "For someone like you, Justin, yes." He shook his head.

"I don't even know how I got sucked into people like you."

"We give you friends," Simon said frankly. "And that's what you enjoy in life."

Justin sat down, defeated. Ratna took out a new piece of paper and a pencil.

"Alright, Justin, we're going to revise this note to make you seem better if you're going to have any chance of getting her."

XX

At around ten in the morning, Kimberly stumbled downstairs and made a bowl of cereal, lying her head down in order to eat it. "I'm sooo tired."

"No, you plumbbob, you're hung over. Don't drink so much next time. I thought you were smart, Kim," Sam scolded.

"You invited that Phoebe over," Kim murmured. "Do we have any aspirin?" Sam immediately got up from the table and opened some pills and got a glass of water. "Thanks, Sammy." She gulped down the tablets. "You're the best."

She ravenously ate the Wheatie Flakes. Once she was done, a feeling of nausea formed in her stomach. "Oh, shoot," she said, bolting to the bathroom. She heard Sam cuss from behind her.

Once she was done, she returned to the table. "Sorry. Definitely won't be drinking any time soon. I've never handled alcohol well before." She frowned. "Hold it, Sam. We're _both_ the smart ones. Even though we were trouble makers, we were both at the top of our class." Sam patted her arm.

"I was kidding, Kimmy. And yeah, I had Phoebe over yesterday. Also I had the Rutherford Household over. You've got to admit, that Connor Weir's a cutie." She nodded. "Phoebe makes you feel so… good."

"Drunk without getting drunk," Kim remarked. "Opposite of Frances. Makes you feel sober as heck." At the name, Sam tensed up. "Ah, relax, it's not like she's a witch or anything."

Sam shrugged. "Phoebe was so nice, though. When I put you to bed, she managed to get everyone to leave and said her goodbyes and wished you well. What a nice girl." Kim rolled her eyes. "Just be glad I have the day off, Kim." Her eyes widened. "Oh, no, don't tell me you're not off." She got up and sprinted to her room, pulling on her work uniform in record time.

"I'll talk to you later! If I'm not fired," she said, pulling her jacket on and panting. "Bye, Sam!"

Sam shook her head and headed to the library to get a book. _What a mess, _she thought. _Maybe I'll invite Phoebe over soon. _

XX

The echoing stone walls of her castle resonated with every step. Phoebe Adams was royally pissed.

"Frances!" she screamed. "FRANCES!"

Her pale face reddened, the innocent freckles on her cheeks pulsing.

The redheaded witch came out, her incredibly pale face grinning. "Yes, Phoebe, dearest? What would you like from me?"

Phoebe went up to her and grabbed the neck of her dress. "I told you to stay out of the Cordial's business! And then going and casting that stupid drunk spell – I could smell you all over Kimberly!" she screamed. "I TOLD YOU what I was doing with Samantha!"

Frances gently wrapped her fingers around Phoebe's wrists. She carefully dropped them off of her. "Calm down, Phoebe. You do know she prefers the name Sam." Phoebe squeezed her gray eyes shut and clenched her fists until she calmed down. "I'm not messing with Samantha. I'm messing with her _sister, _Kim."

Phoebe's mouth hung open. "What?"

XX

"Ms. Jessica Peterson."

"Mrs. Carlos Contender."

"Mrs. Armand DeBateau."

She broke down at that last one. Ever since she was caught cheating, she was no longer the last one.

She was pretty sick of the lifestyle she was leading. Being a high roller on lies sucked, but being poor and living in a trailer park sucked even more.

So what if she had never loved Armand? Did she not deserve more than living in this pink wasteland?

She got out of the bathroom, where she had been looking at herself, and knocked over a picture on the wall.

Now Carlos Contender was her newest exploit. However, she found herself actually having the flighty feelings towards him. Those were bad, she had told herself.

Right now she didn't care, too angry to realize what she was doing as she pushed the television over, breaking it in the process. Right as she started to clear off the bookcase by kicking it over, someone banged on her door. She ripped over to answer it and it was her landlord.

"Ms. Peterson?" the elderly woman asked. Jessica nodded, knowing her mascara was horrendously streaked and that she looked horrible. "What on earth is going on in there?" Jessica shook her head.

"Sorry. I'll quiet down," she said, wiping her nose with her arm. The landlord nodded, frowned, and walked away. Jessica slammed the door, sat down on her couch, and sobbed.

XX

Gabe Green loved his life.

He had a great girl in his life, who, even if she didn't know he existed, was fun to be around. He had a great house, done in steam punk style by his roommate. He had a great best friend, Chastity, his roommate, business worker, and complete maniac.

There was a reason why they were friends. He was quiet, reserved, tightly wound, and a deep thinker. She was loud, wild, laid back, and impulsive. They were opposites.

Chastity slid down the banister and landed in their living room. The car she had been trying to fix up sat to the side, and the book he had been working on was strewn across the coffee table.

They had a strangely half-organized, half-crazy life. They made it work.

"Yo, Gabe," Chastity said, her braids in a loose ponytail. "You have to work late tonight?"

He frowned, thinking back to if he had to. He shook his head. She grinned.

"Fantastic, you can come with me to get my nose pierced."

She walked past him to the kitchen and grabbed a jug of milk out of the refrigerator. As she swallowed, Gabe finally reacted.

"You're getting your _nose pierced_? Is that okay for your job, Chastity?" he questioned frantically. She shrugged.

"There's nothing to worry about. All of the bosses will let it slide, I'm sure," she said, a knowing grin on her face. She wiped away the milk on her upper lip. "I'll just get a tiny little stud. Heck, I'll even make sure it's black to blend in with my skin." She giggled. "I want one, Gabe! And I want you to be there for it! Unless you'd rather I get one… _somewhere else._" Gabe rolled his eyes and fell back onto the couch. She climbed over the back and sat with him.

A faint, unlikely pattern of freckles dotted over her nose. She implored him with her big brown eyes, a pout on her painted lips. Chastity was a cute girl. Unfortunately, she wasn't Gabe's type at all. Too wild for him. They said that opposites attracted, but Gabe couldn't get past the whims of fancy.

Like this.

"Come on, Chaste. Think this through. Do you really want to have to live with a hole in your nose forever?" he asked. She shrugged, lifting up the edge of her shirt to reveal the flower on her hipbone.

"I have. I always wanted to look awesome with a stud in my nose," she said. He sighed.

"You'll get fired." She shrugged.

"Maybe I can be a mechanic," she said, picking up the wrench on the coffee table and lifting it like a dumbbell. Gabe snickered. "Come on, Gabe, live a little! We're only young once." She got up. "Oh, and Sam said she wants to come over today. I figured we could go after that."

That was his out. If he hung out with Sam for long enough, she wouldn't do it. Chastity was a decent matchmaker, he admitted.

"Okay," he called, getting up after her.


	3. Chapter 2: Autumnal Equinox

_A/N: Thank you to anyone who reviewed. It meant a lot to me. _

_Also, a slight change from the game: Sally actually has better grades than Sofia. Sorry, it bothered me since I'm nitpicky. Enjoy! _

XX

Chapter 2

Justin Cleveland shuffled awkwardly in English class. The teacher droned on and on about boring books from, like, ShakeSim's time. No one really cared about Hamlet.

Tara smirked and leaned over to him: "You think it's like all of those teen movies where the books apply to the story?"

Elizabeth, her friend, leaned back and shook her head. "I sure hope not. All of Hamlet's family and friends die." Tara made a fake gasp.

"Even Ophelia? And to think I was starting to like her," she snorted. The teacher turned to the group and they all sat right in their desks. Justin sighed, his clammy hands on a note in his pocket. Simon caught his eye and nodded, telling him to do it.

All of a sudden, his hand was hit and the note fell out of it. Justin breathed in sharply and saw Heath picking up the note. _Oh, no,_ he thought, his stomach sinking. Simon cringed at the bully. He stood much taller than both of them – Justin and he had always been incredibly skinny and short – and was a lot heavier and more muscular. They _were_ the nerds, after all.

Even so, Justin tried to pick the note up. All Heath did was kick his hand off and rip the paper out of his hands.

Tara frowned at them, but turned back to the front and continued taking notes on her notebook.

"Mrs. Simchester?" Heath asked politely. He was a major suck up to teachers simply because it worked for him. "Our friend Justin wants to share a note he was passing with the class."

Justin froze, his worst fears realized. His friend Simon sighed and shook his head at Tara, who simply clenched her jaw and looked forward.

"Mr. Cleveland? Is there something you would like to share with the class?" The elderly teacher glared at him and Justin stood up awkwardly, furrowing his hands in his sweater. Heath flicked him the note.

He flashed back to a moment in elementary school, when he was the new kid in Belladonna and was even more awkward than he was in high school. He had to give this report on flying pigs. When he was younger, Justin had a heck of a stuttering problem, and the report aggravated them.

"D-d-dear – " he started, but Tara stood up and snatched the note from him.

"Heath Butler has a smile like the joker and a nose like a frog," she read, unfolding the note a little bit more. "I like to think him and Cathy Miller hook up together simply because I couldn't see either of them ever finding someone who will deal with their pigheadedness." Her lips twitched into a smirk.

The teacher simply stood stoically, a reddening Justin wilting like a flower. His face was bright red as the class roared at the thought of Heath and Cathy hooking up.

Justin sighed in relief as the bell rang. Tara got up and picked up her things, crumpling up the note and sinking it in the trashcan. She pumped her fist.

"Dude, you so owe me. See you tonight for tutoring," she said, walking out of the classroom. Simon clapped his shoulder.

"Better luck next time," he said. "See you at robotics?"

Justin nodded miserably. "If Heath doesn't kill me first."

XX

Sally Riley and Sofia Baldwin were at odds. Both were jealous of the other for different reasons, but their rivalry was the biggest in PS 64.

After school, they were the only ones in the fifth grade who rode home on the bus to their apartments. So usually they sat together then. It was an odd butting of heads, so to speak.

Sofia glanced at the girl. She was incredibly jealous of her hair. It was long and brown and wavy and she always talked about her mommy and daddy brushing it. Sofia glanced up at her tiny black buns dotting her head. Her mother did them, since her hair was unruly and didn't stay put.

Her mommy and daddy were always so busy. That was another thing she was jealous of. Even though Sally's mommy died, her daddy always had time for her.

Sally Riley crossed her arms, trying to look out the window like a cool fifth grader would do. She glanced at Sofia, trying to seem nonchalant. Her pink tank top and jeans sat comfortably on her shoulders and waist – they were her favorite clothes. Sally wouldn't admit it, but she was also ravenously jealous of Sofia. They were in the two different cliques of the school: Sally the head of the popular girls, friends with a few sixth graders and the best fifth graders, and Sofia the head of the smart girls.

She shifted awkwardly. "Um… I didn't really get the math homework today."

Sofia perked up. "Oh! I did. Would you like help with it?" she asked quickly and intelligently. Sofia reached down to her backpack and pulled out her notebook. "Oh, no, I forgot my pencil at home…"

Sally was quick to her pencil case and retrieved a pencil decorated with little pink kitties. Sofia nodded appreciatively at it. "This is cute. Okay, so these were roman numerals, right? So we just have to think of it like real numbers." She sketched out some numbers on the top with captions.

The brown haired girl sighed. Even her handwriting was perfect.

"The I's are ones, and the V is a five. When the I goes to the left, it's subtraction."

They sloughed through that on the long ride home. All of the townies had to go home first and they lived in the middle of the downtown. All of the teenage townies lived in their own apartments in the city. Although most people thought that it was cool, and their parties during the weekends were rumored to be the best, it was a real inconvenience in the bus.

The bus came to a stop just as they finished their homework. Sally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she might have enough time to play with her toys…

Unless, of course, she was supposed to play with the neighbor's kid again. She didn't mind the little girl, Etsu, but she really liked having free time to read and watch television. She adored that one show about the feuding redheaded twins – _A Pleasant Life_.

"Do you watch that soap opera about those redheads?" she asked suddenly. Sofia chewed her lip, returning the kitty pencil.

"Is that the one on at five?" Sally nodded enthusiastically. "Oh. My mom makes me change it so my little brother can watch. Marcus." She made a face. "I hate watching Rabbit and Friends."

"Oh my creator, I hated that show!" she complained. Sally immediately clapped her hand over her mouth. "I said creator…"

Sofia shrugged. "My great uncle tells me that the creator doesn't mind when we say their name. In fact…" she looked around like she was guarding a secret and leaned in. "He says that the creator doesn't understand what we say."

The bus was almost to Sofia's stop. "Well, that's good," Sally blurted out. "At least he doesn't hear what I say about math homework." They both laughed lightly.

The bus came to a stop and Sofia got out as well as another girl in their class that sat with her sister, redheads named Sunny and Zoe.

"You're not that bad, Sally," Sofia said sweetly. "Maybe we can hang out sometime, you think?"

Sally shrugged, keeping her cool façade on. "I mean, we don't usually hang out… but do you want to sit together at lunch tomorrow?"

Sofia beamed. "See you tomorrow, Sally." She skipped off of the bus.

Sally sighed and prepared to go home.

XX

Kim dropped on the couch the second she got home. Working for the military was physically draining. Her muscles ached, she had a continuing headache from being drunk – she wanted reminding not to drink – and wanted some cheesecake.

Sam came out of the library in a fancy purple dress. Kim sighed. "What do we need to do?"

She frowned at her sister. "Get out of that wear, Kim. We have to go over to Gabe's house."

"Why the _heck _do we have to go to your boyfriends' house?" she said acidly. Samantha smiled to herself and blushed. "And yes, I'm pretty sure everyone in Belladonna knows you two are sweet on each other."

Sam reached out and hit Kim with a book. She groaned. "Seriously, I'm too tired to go."

"Chastity'll be there. It will be fun. Come on, Kim, I need a wingman," Sam begged. "I won't bother you tomorrow… I'll sell my undying soul to you." Kim cracked a smile. "I see you smiling. Let's get ready, Kim. We can look fabulous in our matching black bobs." Kim reluctantly got up. Sam bounced in delight. "Thank you, Kimmy!"

"Oh, you owe me for this," she grumbled, starting to take off her military jacket as the two walked upstairs. Well, Sam skipped while Kim trudged. As they proceeded upstairs, she took off her boots and pants. Eventually, she was in her underwear as her sister stood on her tiptoes, rifling through her closet.

"Jeez, Kim, all of your clothes are so dark," she commented, picking out a dress. "This one looks acceptable." She tossed her a black dress and a lacy white top. Kim raised an eyebrow at her, and Sam sighed. "You're supposed to wear it."

Kim rolled her eyes and pulled the dress over her head, fitting the tight fabric around her body. Then she slipped the sweater over, too. "Isn't it too warm for sweaters, Sam?"

"This doesn't count as a sweater," she replied immediately, tossing her a pair of tights. Kim groaned. "Fine, don't wear the tights. I'm just trying to make you presentable."

"Who's coming to this party anyways?" Kim asked, getting up and rifling through her closet for the perfect black heels. "Ah, my favorite shoes…" She slipped them on her feet, wriggling her toes through the open top. Sam rolled her eyes as Kim got up, catching her balance. "What?"

"They're just so… alternative," Sam said, wrinkling her perfect nose. Kim sighed and headed toward the bathroom. Of course Sam's hair was already perfectly coiffed, but Kim's was messy and slightly sweaty.

"No time for a shower, right?" Kim sighed. Sam nodded and got a brush. "Remind me why we have social lives. It's such work."

Sam giggled and pulled the brush through Kim's staticky hair. The other twin cringed and reached for her makeup bag. The bathroom had two sinks: the left one was Sam's and the right was Kim's. She took out her eyeliner and retraced her eyes.

"I wish you wouldn't wear so much makeup," Sam scolded, shaking her hairspray. Kim shook her head and grabbed it from her.

"I'm not smelling like butterflies and rainbows all evening," she scowled, setting Sam's hairspray far away. "Use mine," she said, handing the unscented one on her sink to her. Sam shrugged. "And my makeup has no bearing on you."

Sam raised an eyebrow as she shook the can and sprayed it all over Kim's bob. Kim brushed her mascara on, reinforcing the stuff from work. Wait, she'd never put anything on for work…

"This makeup's from _last night_?" Kim asked. Sam shrugged, taking a black – thank goodness it was black and not flowery pink – bobby pin and sticking her hair behind her ear. On one side it was neat, but on the other, there was a slight hangover of hair.

Kim had to admit: her sister had a fashion sense. The lacy sweater looked good on her slight frame. Of course, it would have to be easy planning for a sister who looked exactly like her aside from the eyes.

She put a coat of red lip stain on – Kim had a terrible habit of eating her lip balm off – and packed a handbag of makeup and other important items to bring along. Sam finished messing with her hair and found a necklace in her medicine cabinet. "If it's pink – "

"I hate the color pink, Kim!" she protested, fastening the silver chain around her neck. "There. Now we match with friendship necklaces." Kim groaned.

"You have _got _to be kidding me," she whined. "That's like fifth grade stuff." Sam smirked and shrugged. "How big is this party?" They walked out of the bathroom and Kim hit the lights.

"Their closest friends – Sam Hart, Vanessa, Vincent and probably his siblings, and Shanna," she said. "I heard Chastity invited Carlos Contender, but I don't know if he'll come. Also… Armand is coming." She bit her lip. Kim put an arm around her sister.

Kim also bit her lip. Sam was incredibly uncomfortable around Armand, simply because she had to tell him no to going out, and he was such a nice guy. But the Cordials were from humble backgrounds, and his sheer amount of money he had thrown around at the slightest suggestion scared her.

Also, it didn't help that Sam had little to no experience with boys. Kim had, although they had been mostly casual and ended up with her getting bored and dumping them in high school.

Kim grabbed Sam's hand. "Let's go. We _are _helping to set up, right?" Sam nodded, forcing a smile. "Come on."

XX

Vivian Cho was finally home. She was about to collapse and take a nap, but then she heard a faint cry from outdoors. _Etsu. _

She sighed and got up, heading toward her bedroom. Quickly changing out of her work uniform, she put a blue and gray dress on.

When she got downstairs, Etsu was playing in the sandbox and Sally was on a swing. She walked over to Timothy and took a seat. He was on a bench, keeping an eye on Etsu in case she got into trouble.

"How was work?" he asked cordially. She shrugged.

"It was work. How was…" she trailed off, remembering that Timothy was unemployed. "How was Etsu today?"

He chuckled, looking at the little girl. Her overall dress was absolutely trashed. Vivian sighed; she would have to buy her a new one. "She was okay. A little messy. If you'd like, I could get those stains out. I'm a whiz with stains." Vivian smiled absently. She caught Sally staring at her.

"Thank you so much for watching her," Vivian said. "Those nannies charge so much and don't do a good job of taking care of kids." Timothy laughed and nodded.

"When Olivia… my late wife, was alive, we were both working, trying to get a good foundation for little Sally, right?" he said. "And the nannies in our old city – we lived right outside of here, in Bluewater – were absolutely terrible." He shook his head. "It was like they were senile." They both laughed. Sally walked up to them and took a seat next to Vivian.

"Hello, darling," Vivian said warmly. "How are you?" She pointedly didn't answer Vivian and instead looked at her father.

"Daddy, a girl from school invited me over. Could I go home with her some day this week?" she asked. Vivian frowned and Timothy smiled.

"Of course, sweetie. Is it Diane? Or is it little Luc? He's a nice boy," he pointed out to Vivian. She nodded.

"No, it's Sofia Baldwin," she said lightly. Timothy frowned.

"You say you don't like her, darling. Are you sure?" Sally nodded viciously. "Okay, sure you can. Just make sure her parents are okay with it." He smiled at his daughter warmly. Vivian got up and picked up her daughter to bring back to the bench. She cried out to her and Vivian simply petted her black hair.

She realized her daughter really did need to be taken care of, judging by her stomach's growling and her dirty everything.

"Look, Timothy, I have to get dinner and everything for Etsu, clean her up and such. Thank you so much for looking after her. Is there any way I could repay you?" He glanced at his daughter.

"Sally, head upstairs and start your homework. I'll be up in a second," he said. Stepping closer to Vivian, he smiled. "I couldn't take your money, but… would you like to go on a date with me?"

Vivian's heart skipped a beat. A smile crept onto her face as well. "Sure." He winked and began to walk away.

"See you tomorrow at seven. We'll go out to Arden's," he said.

With that, Vivian started off with Etsu, her heart beating and her stomach fluttering.

XX

"So the square root of negative three would be…" Justin said, chewing the end of his pencil. Tara sighed and stole his notebook. "Hey!"

"You're taking forever to get this concept!" she complained, brushing her bangs back. They were at his apartment, all of their stuff sprawled out across the kitchen table. "It's I times the square root of three." He scratched his head and she threw her arms up in the air. "You're hopeless, Justin!"

"Maybe my tutor just sucks," he shot back. She rolled her eyes and scrunched her nose. "Aren't you getting paid for this? I want my money back." She laughed and his friend Simon walked out of the bathroom.

"Dude, your soaps are completely fruity. Any progress on that math homework?" he asked Tara. She shook her head. Simon headed toward the fridge and started hanging on it. "Do you have any rich people food? I'd sure love some delicacies."

Tara rolled her eyes. "Come over to my house. We have enough leftover duck to feed SimNation's army." Simon snickered.

"First world problems."

She scribbled some things on his notebook and handed it back. Taking a look at his notes, she sighed. "Justin, here's your problem. Your notes are atrocious."

"Atrocious," Simon laughed, picking out a sandwich from a plate in the fridge and taking a big bite. Justin gave him a look.

"That's my father's, you asshole!" he complained. "Now I'm going to be in trouble."

"Who's going to be in trouble?" his father asked as he walked in the door, Marissa following him. Tara shrunk from the woman. She had a scathing glare and a sort of mysterious disposition. She'd never made it clear that she didn't like Tara, but there were so many glares and snide comments she could put up with.

Justin groaned as Tara flipped her books shut. "Look, Justin, I'll see you tomorrow at school – "

"No, Tara, don't leave yet!" he protested. "Mom, can we go to my room and study?"

"Absolutely not," she replied, not even looking over from the sink. "You kids make such a mess. This will not do."

"Mom, please?" Justin begged. "I'll even bring Simon. I wouldn't ever make out with someone in front of him." Simon, with a mouthful of food, socked him in the shoulder.

Marissa turned around and rolled her eyes. "Fine. But leave the door open." Justin grumbled and grabbed the stuff off of the table. The three made their way to his room. Immediately, Tara flopped down on his bed.

"I'm so sick of Algebra II," Simon sighed, shoving the rest of Jason Cleveland's sandwich into his mouth. "Justin, you think we could just do our homework in study hall and chill for a while?"

Tara rolled over and glared at them. "You two are such slackers. No wonder you guys have Cs in certain classes. Namely, English."

Simon sat down next to Tara, who retracted her legs so he could sit. Justin dragged his desk chair over and spun around in it. "Oh, yeah! Dude, that Heath guy – total dick."

She nodded. "You should just be glad I saved your ass, Justin." They laughed for a while. "What time is it?" Simon glanced at his wrist.

"It's like five thirtyish. When do you have to go home?" he questioned. Tara shrugged.

"My dad expects me at seven for dinner, so I have a while." Justin smiled deviously. "What?" she asked him.

"Simon, you don't happen to know where Heath lives? I heard that the Butlers inherited that creepy house in the downtown." Simon frowned, trying to comprehend what he was saying.

Finally, Simon grinned. "That sounds like a fantastic plan." Tara got up.

"Hey, don't leave me out of the loop." Simon turned to her and Justin got up and went out of the room.

"Tara… you don't happen to have any of your paints from art class in your backpack, do you?" he asked. She nodded.

"I still don't understand – oh," she said, understanding as Justin walked back with a few rolls of toilet paper. "I get you now. And I'm all in."

XX

"Where are you three going?" Marissa Cleveland asked, the stove on as she was cooking dinner. Jason popped his head out from the study.

"We'll be back by seven, seven thirty at the latest, mom," Justin said breathlessly as the three ran out of the door. Simon had driven them over from school, and he had his keys in his fingers already.

The three breathed heavily as Simon started the car. "We're going to have the best time getting back at him," Tara giggled. "Screw homework, this adrenaline rush rocks."

Justin laughed with her. "I like this new bad-girl Tara."

XX

"The party's starting, Sam. You're going to have to face him some day," Kim said. Sam nodded, sitting on the roof. Her legs were curled under her, breathing out into the oddly chilled air. The end of September shouldn't be this cold at sunset.

"I – I can't, Kim," she whispered, looking off in the distance at the roofs of the city. It was wide and sprawling. She could see the ocean, even the very edge of her house. "I thought I could. But I can't."

Kim scoffed. "He doesn't even care anymore. A much lesser woman already crushed him, you know? That Jessica lady. What a slut." Sam nodded, her hand shaking.

Anxiety ran in their family. Kim hadn't gotten it, but Sam had gotten her fair share.

"Yeah," she whispered back, cracking a smile. Kim took a seat next to her and patted her hair back. "What's going on?"

"Carlos showed up," she said, smiling. "Chastity's all over him. She's a funny girl."

"Not a slut, though?" Sam asked. "If Jessica – "

"That's different and you know it. Jessica was in it for the money. Chastity… she's in it because she's a crazy bitch," Kim grinned. Sam gave a nervous laugh as Kim looked back. "Um… I'll get you a water. Be right back."

_What the…_

Sam internally cursed out her sister as Gabe walked toward her. She put her head down on the table, guarding her face with her arms. "God, Gabe, I'm sorry, it's just – "

"Don't worry about it," he interrupted, pulling a chair out next to her and sitting down. His longer brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She raised her head slightly.

"What?"

"Don't worry about it," he repeated, smiling patiently at her. "I get the anxiety thing. I had terrible social anxiety as a kid. Chastity helped me through that, you know, since she's so crazy. She showed me that even if you're psycho, no one really cares." He smiled. "God, I love that girl." Sam raised her head and tried to regain her composure. "Are you wearing mascara?"

"A little," she muttered. "Does it look bad?"

"No, it looks fine," he assured her. "Did you convince your sister to come here just so you could sit on my roof?" She swallowed and shook her head. "I know you didn't. Armand's busy talking to Kenya and her brother. Stupid Shannon didn't show up." He sighed. "Come down. It'll be fun. You've got me and an awesome sister to watch out for you." She glanced at his extended hand.

Grabbing it, he pulled her up like it was nothing and they proceeded downstairs.

To their left was his bedroom, and to the right was Chastity's. Downstairs, though, was where the real party was.

Kim was talking to Vanessa Royce, a pretty girl with brown hair and brown eyes. Chastity was just in front of them, wearing a flamboyant party dress as always and a drink in hand. If Sam was honest, she wondered how people could drink and get up like nothing happened. Neither her nor Kim could manage that.

She spied Carlos out of the corner of her eye. He immediately got up and bee lined toward the two of them.

"Hello, my darlings," he said warmly. "You two are looking fine tonight." Sam smiled nervously. "Are you sick, Samantha? You look unwell." He put a palm on her forehead.

"Oh, no, Mr. Contender, I'm fine," she said, smiling. Gabe tucked his hands into his pockets and nodded.

"Are you liking the party, sir?" he questioned. The man nodded.

"Is it yours? Then you must be Gabriel," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Gabe nodded and took his hand, shaking it solidly. Sam spied her sister over with some townie friends, playing darts. She was decent at darts.

"Hey, Gabe," she whispered. "I'm going to go watch Kim play darts."

"I'll join you," he replied, saying his goodbyes to Carlos and following her.

XX


	4. Chapter 3: A Dog in Politics

_A/N: Thank you for reading this story _

_Also, there's another small continuity error: Marcus is a bit far off from aging, but since the Baldwins need something to do, he's growing up in the near future. In reality, he'd only be halfway to becoming a kid… or maybe two thirds, depends on how you spin it. _

_Another one: Gabe and Kim don't know each other, although it'd seem likely that they would given that Kim and Sam are siblings… so pretend that doesn't exist either. Sorry! _

_This A/N is super long (matches this chapter: 10 pages), but does anyone know whether Chastity's an executive assistant or an executive? The wiki gives me conflicting reports… no matter; I'll say the latter. _

XX

Chapter 3: A Dog in Politics

Ana and Ramir Patel were enjoying a night of lying on the bed and staying up late.

"Honey, did you know that a baby can hear your voice as early as sixteen weeks into pregnancy?" Ana asked, her curly black hair in a ponytail. "That means our little baby probably already knows our names."

"That's silly, Ana," Ramir responded, flicking through the channels on television. "Our baby doesn't know language yet."

Ana murmured a response, enamored in the cooking book she was reading. "I'm hungry, Ramir."

_Uh oh, _Ramir thought. Whatever his wife wanted for a meal would probably be outlandish and difficult to obtain at the hour. "Stop reading cooking books, then. Read about cleaning."

She pouted. "But the damage has already been done…"

"What do you want?" he sighed, setting the remote. She grinned.

"I think spaghetti with meat sauce and a side of cake. Ooh, also some blood oranges." She scrunched her nose. "And some ice cream."

Ramir chuckled at his wife. "Good thing we have leftover spaghetti. I'll make a run to the store and you can have that first." She nodded excitedly as he got up to go to the kitchen.

He loved no one more than he loved his wife. She was a fantastic girl. Ana was pretty, smart, funny, and a great person to be around. The only problem was her desire for so many children.

When her parents had died as a teen, he had begged his traditional father to let her move in with them, which he did. His mother had died when he was a child, so he knew how it felt for a parent to die. He knew that had been a stretch for his father. Letting a boy and a girl live together? That was abominable. Ramir was just lucky that their parents were friends.

He opened the refrigerator and took out a plate of spaghetti. "Do you want this warmed up, sweetie?" he called.

"Cold!" she shouted back. He heard the sound of _A Pleasant Life_'s theme song playing.

"Oh, you're not watching that terrible soap opera again, are you?"

"No, I'm watching the kid's channel!" she replied, laughing. "Just get my spaghetti!" He walked back with the plate and a fork in hand. Ramir set the plate on their bed.

"I'll be right back, Ana," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Oranges, cake, and ice cream?" She nodded, eating the spaghetti already.

"Blood oranges," she said, muffling her words with the pasta. He nodded and started to the garage.

The gender of the child was to be a surprise, mostly since Ana was childlike in that way. She loved surprises. If it was up to Ramir, he would make sure that he knew everything about the kid, but his wife really wore the pants in the relationship.

Driving off to the market, he kept his ever-alert eyes on the road. The market wasn't too far away. Hopefully he remembered his wallet…

Good, he did. It was in his pocket. When he pulled up to the market, there were a few cars parked outside. He spotted a few teens – they looked like townies – hanging out, the clerk eyeing them. The clerk looked to be seriously contemplating kicking them out.

Ramir killed the engine and got out. He realized he was already in his pajamas. _Whoops._

"Good afternoon and welcome to Finer Fare," the clerk greeted. He frowned at his outfit. "Someone's out late, aren't they, Ramir?"

"The wife," Ramir grunted at the boy. His name was Ryker, and he was a sort of nerd. The kids didn't seem to pay him much mind.

The boy chuckled. "That's the pregnant one, right?" Ramir nodded wordlessly, heading to the produce section and picking out a few of the blood oranges. "Those are out of season."

"I know, it's too hot," he said. "Hopefully they come from Aurora, although that might be too cold." Ryker shrugged, leaping over the counter.

"If you shits think about stealing from the register, you're dead!" Ryker shouted. "What else do you need?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Get me a pint of vanilla ice cream – she's grown sick of the mint chocolate chip," he said. "And chocolate, how about it. I also need cake… but not an entire thing, you know? Do you have, like, a slice?"

Ryker chuckled and headed back to the freezer, examining what they had. The building used to be a convenience store before it was converted into the full grocery store. "Hm… we have slices of marble, German Chocolate, and ice cream wrapped. Any look good?"

"Get me the marble and the ice cream. Oh!" he said, remembering something. "Tomorrow she'll want apples and yogurt. Also I should make some vegetarian curry tomorrow after work…"

Ryker returned, setting the ice cream and cake slices on the counter before hopping back over. "Dude, I'm taking tips from you. If I get married, I should be this perfectly devoted husband and crap." One of the girls with the boys looked up at Ryker, but he didn't seem to notice. Ramir rubbed his chin and dropped the produce on the pile. "Yogurt? Regular or flavored?"

"Regular," he said, looking around for some vegetables and spices for the curry. Hopefully she would be able to eat it; if not, he'd make it another day.

Even though he'd rather be out at parties and socializing, he made sacrifices because of how good a person Ana was. Ramir figured he didn't deserve her.

Once he had everything, he set it in front of Ryker to ring it up. The boy was quick and had the total: seventy-five dollars and thirty eight cents. He immediately got his wallet out and flicked a one hundred dollar bill to him. The boy picked out his change and started to bag his items.

"Thanks for your help, Ryker," Ramir said, giving him a tired smile. Ryker nodded.

"See you in a couple days for more random food," Ryker said, waving him out. Ramir piled the bags in his passenger seat and started to return to his house.

XX

Tara was dropped off much later than seven o'clock. She figured she was in deep with her father, but he wasn't there. All there was on the apartment door was: "Tara, I had to take care of something. I'll be home late. You can order takeout, I left money on the table. –Daddy."

She ripped the note off and jammed her house key into the door. Why wasn't her father there? Although, she had to admit, not getting in trouble for being home late was great. She ditched her backpack on the couch and made a break to the kitchen. There was a twenty-dollar bill on the table and two numbers: Chinese and pizza.

Before deciding to order something – it was nine, after all – she checked the refrigerator for something to snack on. There wasn't anything good, but she did see a bag of chips and cereal. That sounded good enough.

Pouring a bowl of both of them, she started eating before she flopped down on the couch. Taking out her math book and the remote, she started watching television – she was able to multitask – and hunkered down. All of a sudden, her bedroom phone rang.

Tara got up and answered it. "Hello?" she asked, expecting it to be her father.

"Tara, did you get in trouble?" the hushed voice of Justin questioned.

"Oh my god, you'll never believe it: my dad is out late tonight," she said. "He didn't even notice me. Can you believe it?" she said. Justin laughed.

"That's great," he said. "And it was super fun tonight."

She laughed with him. "Oh my god, totally. I can't believe Heath actually came out and that we didn't get caught!" She smiled to herself. "Look, I have to do math homework, and I'm sure my dad will call, but I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Before hearing his response, she hung up.

That Justin was a really great friend. She walked back to the living room to watch more television, do more homework, and finish her snack.

Her cell phone lit up and she took a look at it. One of her friends, Zoe, was texting her. She decided to ignore it, mostly because she wanted the evening to herself.

Once she was finished with her food and her homework, she put everything away and went to shower before she went to bed.

It was around ten thirty when she finally managed to get to bed. The second her lights went off and her head hit the pillow, she heard her father come home.

XX

Isabel woke up early and got her husband up. "Honey," she whispered, "could you get Marcus to Carlos' house this morning? I have an interview." He opened an eye and stared at her. "Yeah, I'm interviewing to become a cop. Since Marcus is growing up soon, I figured it would be good to add to the household income."

Benjamin rubbed his eyes, but did tell her, "That's great, sweetie!" She nodded and headed to Sofia's room to wake her up for school.

Her daughter was sleeping soundly in her room she shared with Marcus. He was sleeping as well, and she didn't want to wake him up yet. The boy was getting a little big for his crib. Isabel lifted the covers off of her daughter and quietly woke her up. "Sofia," she whispered. "It's time to get up."

Sofia groaned but she got up. Isabel handed her a green sweater and a skirt, along with a white oxford shirt that was lying on her dresser. Sofia sleepily took them and headed to the bathroom.

Then she headed over to her son. He seemed to know she was coming and roused himself, standing at the edge of the crib and crying for her. He knew how to talk due to a rigorous weekend session, and now he didn't stop.

"Mommy," he said as she lifted him out. She quickly dressed him in overalls and a clean shirt and set him on the floor. He immediately crawled over to the toy box. "Do I go to Uncle Carlos today?" he asked in a baby voice.

Isabel crossed her arms and nodded. "Yes, sweetie. Daddy is driving you."

Sofia came out in the ensemble and grabbed socks out of her dresser. "Hey, mom? A girl from school wants to come over some day – would that be okay?" she questioned. Isabel turned to her daughter.

"Sure, sweetie, which friend? Sunny?"

"No, Sally." Isabel frowned.

"I thought you didn't like Sally." Sofia looked at her mother and smiled.

"Don't you always say to be civil to everyone? I'm trying, mommy, and she'd like to come over. I think it'll be fun. So, today?" she asked. Isabel laughed a little.

"Sure, honey. If her parents say it's okay. Who _are _her parents, anyway?" Isabel asked. Sofia went to her closet and picked out some matching green shoes.

"Her mom's dead. Her dad's Timothy Riley." Isabel frowned at her daughter's language.

"That's not a nice thing to bring up, honey," Isabel said.

Sofia shrugged. "It's true. She moved here when her mom died. She's buried at the art museum or something since she loved art." Isabel nodded and took Marcus' foot to put his shoes on. "So she can come over today? You'll be there, right, mom?"

Isabel nodded as she put the toddler's socks on. "Yes, honey. I have an interview at ten this morning, but it shouldn't last too long." Sofia nodded. "I think daddy's making breakfast. Would you like to go help him?" She nodded and dashed off to the kitchen.

"Mama," Marcus said. She grinned at him and picked him up.

"I suppose you want to go help daddy with breakfast too, don't you?" He nodded enthusiastically, his curly black hair bouncing with his head. "Alright, let's go."

XX

Kim sighed, seeing her sister curled up on the bay window. She was staring out into their yard. She approached her quietly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kim asked cautiously. Sam turned and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine," she replied, turning away from the window and setting her bare feet on the floor. "I have to get to work this morning."

Kim caught her elbow. "Can you afford to be late? I'm worried about you." Sam laughed.

"You, worried about me?" But she stopped and faced her.

"I have the day off. Do you have any vacation time you'd be willing to sacrifice? Heck, maybe we can meet up with Chaste and Gabe." Sam shrugged. "Although I know Chastity works today."

Sam managed a laugh. "The wildest of us has the best and most stable job. It boggles my mind." Kim smiled and the sisters walked downstairs. "I guess… I could call in sick."

Kim winked at her. "See, now you're thinking like me." Sam bit her lip. "What is it?"

"Gabe works today," she squeaked. Kim shrugged.

"Then it's just the two of us. What say you to going out to breakfast?"

Sam nodded and went to the kitchen's phone.

XX

Chastity lounged in her office. It was a fantastic office, with a spinny chair, a giant desk made of mahogany, and a ton of papers she got her assistant to do. She hadn't gotten there by doing work. She'd gotten there by "kissing a lot of ass."

Her business suit didn't seem business-y. It was gray and the jacket was a size too small, accentuating her figure.

She did a turn on the chair and planted her heels on the floor. Her suit didn't have a skirt. No, it had dress pants, making her look taller than she was.

Gordon Wolosenko, a socialite in the city, was her exec assistant. He burst in the door, panting, sweat visible on his brow.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Ms. Gere," he gasped. Chastity rattled her nails on the desk. "I'll do overtime, anything, just please don't fire me."

Chastity shrugged. "It's your work you'll have to take home," she said, pointing to a stack of papers on her desk. "Shoo."

She grinned internally as the man sheepishly grabbed the papers and walked away. Her power was a nice perk from the job. He left, and she picked up her phone idly from the desk.

Carlos had messaged her. She sighed. The old dog didn't know a tease when he kissed one. And besides, he had that Jessica Peterson sniffing all over him. Why not choose her?

Oh, right. Because Chastity was actually interesting. Whoops.

Her boss quietly knocked on the door and proceeded in. Armand DeBateau. Chastity was reminded why meetings were so awkward.

"Hello, Chastity," he fumbled, glancing around to the ground. "I, um, there's paperwork – "

"Already pawned it off to Gordon," she shot back, glancing at her magenta nails.

"Um, aren't those – nails, are they dress code?"

She glared at him. "I didn't get to where I am because of my dress code, Mr. DeBateau." She sighed and flipped her phone open. Gabe was texting her. "Hold on one second."

"But, Chastity, you can't have your phone on at work – "

"One. Second."

She opened the text and read that Gabe had to work late. Chastity groaned, opened her desk drawer, and threw her phone in there. "Yes?"

"Aside from the paperwork, there's a meeting on Sunday at two, and they want you to make it," he said quietly. Chastity rolled her eyes.

"Who invited you to my party last night?" she asked, popping a piece of mint gum into her mouth. "You know, you completely spooked Sam."

He still didn't make eye contact, but he smirked. "Did I?"

She crossed her arms and kept her eyes on him. "Yes. And you know it. God, you have that nice demeanor and it's all fake."

He dragged the chair in front of her desk out and took a seat in front of her. "I'd be careful about what you say, Chastity. I have your job."

"Your other execs are brainless idiots who have to be told what to do," she said. "I'm the only one who actually does something with this job."

"You're smart. But there are alternatives," he said quietly. "I can find an excellent substitute with the right amount of money."

Chastity chuckled and spun around in her chair. "You could just pick your daughter. I'm sure she's very apt to take over the executive position."

He fell silent. "Exactly," Chastity got up. "I'm going to the water cooler."

She got up and passed by a familiar face. "Oh. Connor?" she said, raising an eyebrow. His eyes flickered up to her. "I didn't know you worked here."

He stood and nodded, his awkward demeanor apparent to Chastity. He was decently attractive, but his glasses and his weird clothes didn't reinforce that view.

"Well, um, yeah, I switched jobs," he muttered. "The boss came to work and offered it to me. I was… surprised."

She nodded. "You want to get a drink with me?" she offered. He exhaled and nodded. "Awesome. Come on."

XX

Phoebe arrived at the coffee shop all the way from Magic Town. Her subjects made her want to explode because of how stupid they were, so she needed an escape.

Also mischief. She loved mischief.

She threw her broom against the side of the building and stormed into the building. Most of the business owners were scared of her. The smart ones saw through her sickly sweet demeanor.

It wasn't like she cared. If anyone started to protest, they'd simply die.

"The usual," she said before she caught a seat at the bar. "Move, idiot." The man who sat beside her moved his things over a seat. The shy barista poured her an espresso.

"…I am so glad you convinced me to call in sick!" a familiar voice bubbled. Phoebe glared at the barista and she started talking to another customer. Taking a drink, she casually turned around.

_Hm,_ she thought, seeing the familiar bobs of two sisters. _How strange. Samantha has work today. _

Taking a swig of the liquid, she grimaced before slamming it down on the counter and yelling at the girl. "I told you to get me espresso, not _crap_."

"This is what we've always had," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, what can I do to fix this?"

Phoebe suggested she get lost. The girl looked as if she was about to cry.

Anyone who didn't know she was supposed to be good was absolutely terrified of her. It was the opposite with Frances.

She grimaced again at the thought of the name, taking another drink of the foul coffee. It was like a shot of alcohol: you chugged it to make yourself look cool.

Frances was too good at heart. The fact that she was messing around with Kimberly made Phoebe want to dispose of her. But she couldn't. It wasn't in the contract.

Listening in on the Cordial's conversation, she chewed her lip. Seeing a man staring at her, she glared back. _The last thing I need is a stupid guy falling in love with me unless I dictate it. _

The nearest city was only eight hours away. Dead people from Belladonna in their rivers didn't worry anyone.

"So, do you like Gabe?" Sam asked. Kim rolled her eyes. That girl, to Phoebe, was the antichrist. That is, if Phoebe was Christ, which, in her world, she was.

"Yeah, he's nice enough. The ponytail's a nice touch. Was it Chastity's idea?" Phoebe figured out they were talking about their friends, a set of roommates. The man was decently attractive, but shy and plain, a lot like Samantha. He was also a writer, something Phoebe despised.

Sam nodded, taking a bite of some scrambled eggs. "It's cute, isn't it?"

"The last thing a guy wants to be called is cute, Sam." Kim took a bite of the cinnamon roll she had ordered. _I hope you get fat. _Kim looked up at her sister and smiled. "You like him, don't you?"

Sam frowned. "Well, of course I do, as – as a friend."

"You know exactly what I mean, Samantha Elise Cordial," she said. Samantha rubbed her hair, hiding her reddening face from her sister. It was her tell, Phoebe knew – whenever she was embarrassed, she hid.

_Poor little anxiety-ridden girl, _Phoebe sympathized.

"I – he's handsome," she said, looking up at Kim. She giggled.

"Of course he is, but you two are also shy as heck, intellectual, and nice," she explained. "It's why he and Chaste aren't together."

"What, they got together?" Sam asked too quickly. Phoebe snickered to herself, downing the rest of the espresso.

"Get me the hottest, least fattening thing you have," Phoebe barked. The girl nodded and went to work.

"No, no! Calm down, Sam," Kim ordered. Sam stared at her water. "I'm just saying, since they've been friends so long, if there was anything there, they would be together. But Chaste has told me he's too much like a brother. And who wants to do their brother?"

They both laughed quietly. Phoebe received the scalding hot black coffee and started sipping it. Waking up wasn't the purpose of her excursions at the coffee shop. She liked it because of all of the _gossip _she could use.

"I guess it makes sense. Sometimes differences make a relationship work, and sometimes it's too much," Sam said sagely. Kim nodded. Then she frowned.

"You had Phoebe and Connor over on Wednesday, didn't you?" she questioned. Sam nodded. "And Connor's roommate… what's his name?"

"Geoff," Sam filled in helpfully. "Phoebe invited them over for me. Said I'd like Connor. She was wrong, though."

Phoebe was intrigued at the turn in the conversation. It was about her – Kim had noticed her.

"He seems nice enough. Or is it because of Gabe?" Kim asked, grinning. Sam shrugged.

"I don't know… He seemed kind of desperate. Also he's nerdy."

"So's Gabe," Kim pointed out. Sam shook her head.

"He has a ponytail. That makes him cool." Kim started to laugh loudly.

"Take off your three pairs of rose colored glasses, Sam. You guys are perfect for each other _because _you're so socially awkward." Sam looked down. "I love your awkwardness, though."

"Whatever, Kim!" she said teasingly. "I'll pay the bill and then we can go shopping."

"And then we can go visit _Gabe _at the Convenience Store," Kim teased, putting on her jacket and heading out the door. Phoebe turned around so Sam wouldn't see her. Sam smiled at the cashier and paid their tab.

While waiting for change, she glanced around, her wavy brown dress swaying slightly with her. Phoebe watched her and they met eyes.

A confused appeared on her face as Phoebe turned away from her. "Phoebe?" she muttered to herself. Phoebe blinked and immediately saw hands that most certainly weren't her own. _Fantastic, _she thought, grinning. Now she looked like a Phoebe-esque lumberjack.

"Oh…" she whispered, frowning as she received change. "Thank you," she greeted, walking out of the coffee shop.

"Humans are so interesting," Phoebe said, chuckling to herself as she faded back into Phoebe. She took a final sip of espresso.

XX

It was a slow day at the convenience store even though it was a Friday. Gabe was asked to stay late to help the teenaged worker out. Ryker was his name and he was a nice enough boy, even though he was a rebellious nerd.

"Man, thanks for helping me with the shift," Ryker said, hopping over the counter. It was late, around eight, and Gabe had racked up so much overtime he wasn't even tired. This was… he counted with his fingers – five hours of overtime.

"No problem. I'm making bank on this night," Gabe replied, taking a drink out of his water bottle. "I have to work until eleven, which is almost twelve hours."

"Yeah, see, I had school," Ryker said sourly. But the pace was picking up, as people started pouring in to buy beer and party snacks. "Do you throw parties, Gabe?"

"Yeah. Had one last night," he said. "We beat the rush and break up the week by doing them Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Sundays."

"We?" Ryker asked. Gabe sighed, ringing up the chips of a townie. "You have a girlfriend?"

Gabe mulled that over. If it was up to him, he would tell the entire city – no, the entire _world _– about Sam, but he had specifically asked about a girlfriend.

"No, but I have a roommate that's a girl. She's also a friend," he said, politely greeting the customer. "That'll be twelve dollars and thirteen cents." As the man fumbled for cash, Ryker asked him more questions.

"What's she like?"

"Wild," he said. It was true. Chastity was wild. She always had been. In elementary school, she'd worn neon socks and colorful headbands. In middle school, she'd gotten four piercings on both ears, a nose stud, and wore ridiculous makeup. In high school, she'd broken down and gotten her belly button pierced, perfected her makeup, and shaved her head. And then they'd moved in together, where she finally managed to make the look appear fashionable.

He frowned. "Like, do you guys – "

"Don't ask," he said. "No way." The man took his receipt. "Have a nice day."

A crash sounded, followed by a _thud _on the tile floor. The white floor cracked, but that wasn't what Gabe concentrated.

"What in Creator's name – " he started, looking at the broken window. It was at the edge of the store, and a cinder block had been chucked in the window, effectively breaking it. A little girl who was walking near there started crying.

Gabe glanced at Ryker. "Call 911 and then call the boss. Tell him some jackass is throwing cinder blocks through windows – " but before he could finish, another block was heaved through the window. "I'll be right back."

Even though Gabe was a nerd, he worked out. He wasn't weak. So whoever was terrorizing the customers was going to get a smack down…

All at once, cinder blocks were thrown through the remaining three windows. He opened the door and saw five people in dark clothes and masks standing there.

"Hey, hey, hey, we've got a biter," someone chuckled. "Hey there, Gabriel."

"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted, realizing that he was vastly outnumbered. Even though two of them were girls, they were muscular, frightening girls. "You're scaring children."

"That's the point, genius," a girl jabbed. The leader, a man with a large stature and a red mask instead of a black one, stepped out in front of him.

"Quiet, Amber," he hissed. "Now when the police question you for this, you get to deliver this message, okay, Gabriel?" Gabe frowned. "Yes, Gabriel Green. You live at 108 Bella Park Road. Your roommate's Chastity Gere. You have close ties with the Cordial family, Samantha and Kimberly?"

"Stop," Gabe said. "I get your point. What?"

"We want you to tell them to get the dog out of politics." Gabe raised an eyebrow. "They'll know what I mean."

"Who do I tell this? Mr. Wright?" he asked sarcastically. The man stepped forward and grabbed Gabe by his collar. He smelled distinctly of tomatoes, which was strange to Gabe.

"You're going to get a specialist all the way – get this, a specialist from Strangetown. You tell him this." The five began to file away as soon as Tomatoes set him down. "Oh, get a load of the graffiti around back."

Gabe frowned and stepped back inside. Ryker slammed down the phone as soon as he got back.

"The police are on their way but they're dealing with a lot of other incidents," he said. "There's been three other stores attacked the same way and the Rutherford household has – where are you going?" Gabe motioned for him to follow.

"What did the boss say?" he questioned.

Ryker shrugged. "She said she can't deal with this right now since she was having a breakdown."

"Typical Jessica," Gabe scoffed, unlocking the back door and allowing Ryker to cross through first. He walked a good distance away from the building and turned.

"Holy crap," Ryker said breathlessly. "What is this?"

In front of Gabe stood a masterpiece of spray paint and posters. All over said "High Rollers" in neon graffiti. There was whitish paint, which was beginning to dry and glow. The posters had pictures of dogs with business suits, presiding on a podium.

Gabe gasped and rubbed his head. "This is going to be a long night, isn't it?" he asked Ryker.

"Um, yeah," he said, laughing hysterically. "Good thing it's a Friday, right?"

XX

_TL;DR Ana and Ramir Patel are introduced and Ramir buys random food for cravings. Tara misses getting in trouble because her dad's at a party (the party last chapter). Isabel is on her way to an interview, and Sally comes over to Sofia's house later. Sam blows off work to hang with Kim. Chastity is at work, revealing that Armand has a dark side, and she also meets Connor Weir there. Phoebe spies on Sam and Kim at breakfast. Gabe works with Ryker super late, collecting ridiculous overtime, when someone breaks their windows, tells him to tell a military professional about dogs in politics and then graffitis their wall. _

_ This Teal Deer is too long. _


	5. Chapter 4: Parents of Past and Present

_A/N: I had to use Buzz. There are no playable Officers anywhere. Also the only criminal is Dustin… ugh. _

_To my reviewers: I get ridiculously happy whenever you review. Not even kidding. Makes my day. Thank you! One of you said you liked Ana and Ramir's chemistry. That's sweet. __ Glad I can write them okay. _

_XX_

Chapter 4: Parents of Past and Present

"Come on, don't I get my one phone call?" Gabe asked. "I did not do overtime for this!"

"Since you're not a prisoner, no, you don't," the police officer said snidely, depositing him into a holding room and slamming the door. Gabe kicked the door and sat in the uncomfortable chair, holding his head. It was midnight. He'd been shuffled around, waiting for the general to arrive in the helicopter all the way from Strangetown.

He took out his cell phone. No reception. "Damn it all to the afterlife!" he shouted, smashing it back in his pocket. He was worried about Ryker. The kid had a family, after all, and they'd be worried about him. Even though he was a bit odd looking, with blonde highlighted hair, he was a nice enough kid.

"How about visitors?" he shouted.

"If any come," the officer shouted back. "Now pipe down!"

Gabe sighed and leaned back against the chair. If he was stuck, he might as well sleep…

"WAKE UP!"

"Hooooly shit," Gabe said, blinking and rubbing his eyes. "How long have I been out?"

"It is not up to me to dictate that, soldier – I mean, Mr. Green!" the man shouted. Gabe stretched and yawned, taking out his phone to check the time. It was one fifteen.

"Okay, so who are you?" Gabe asked. The man had a buzz cut and some military paint under his eyes. "Wow, you really take this military thing seriously."

"Silence!" the man shouted. "My name is General Buzz Grunt. You will refer to me as General Grunt. You got that, soldier – Mr. Green?"

"Yeah, crystal clear," Gabe muttered, still trying to wake up. "So why were you called in from Strangetown? Aren't there, like, aliens you need to take care of?"

"That is classified information! I will be asking the questions around here!"

"You don't have to shout, I'm perfectly capable of hearing," Gabe muttered. The General stood stock-still, his posture strangely straight. Finally, he dragged a chair over and sat with his elbows on his knees. "So what do you want from me, General?"

He stared evenly, his gray eyes cold and stony. "Mr. Green, I have been informed that you have some information on the High Rollers campaign." Gabe cocked his head. "Since your building was broken into, we figured it was like all of the others. But you decided to be remarkably stupid and go out and confront them."

"It wasn't stupid if you're asking me about it," Gabe said. The General ignored him.

"And from what we can figure out, you managed to get a message to relay to me. Tell me what happened, Gabriel." Gabe looked around and then up at him.

"Well, I was working super late. See, it was Friday and the other guy – his name's Andrzej – he got sick. So they had me run over, like, five hours of overtime. Now I'm not against that, see, because I need the money." The General nodded, listening intently. "I was working with Ryker Ternyck, a teenager who works cashier jobs because his dad thinks it builds character."

"It does."

"Any job does," Gabe said. "Anyway, we were talking and someone heaves a giant cement block through the window. Everyone kind of freezes, and then the second comes. Finally, the last three windows break at once. All of them were broken with the cement blocks. So I go outside, thinking that I can get the punk kids scared off, you know? They always hang around here." The General leaned back, crossing his hands in his lap.

"And when I step outside, it's not kids, it's these five people – two were girls, three were guys – and they circle around me and the door. Someone says that "They've got a biter", and one tells me – it was a girl, and the leader called her… Anna? No, it was… Aubrey?" He scratched his head.

"Amber?" The General plied. Gabe blinked in recognition and nodded. "It was Amber, was it? Do you remember any appearances?"

"They all had black outfits and a black mask, except for the leader who had a red mask." Gabe shut his eyes – this part was going to be hard to remember with all of the adrenaline infused in it.

He had always had a prime memory. It was what made him so smart and so good at writing. He could remember everything he'd written or done. He had the ability to turn it into written memories.

"He had… red eyebrows," Gabe said. "I think he had red hair. And he smelled… distinctly of tomatoes. He came close to me and lifted me by my collar, and told me that they'd ship someone from Strangetown in and to tell them that – to get the dog out of politics. He said you'd know what he meant."

The General nodded. "Thank you. Are there any more physical details you can remember?"

He thought back. His eyes had briefly flickered to the girl who called him an idiot –

"The girl was a redhead – Amber was a redhead," he said. The General blinked and smiled. "What?"

"You've given us more workable information that most people have that have been subject to attacks like these."

"Hold it, attacks like these? I mean, three other places and the Rutherfords were broken into, but this is probably just a more elaborate plot, right?"

The General looked around. "Look, Mr. Green, you seem like a smart man. If I was to tell you that this wasn't unusual and your city was one of the last to be hit, would you be surprised?"

Gabe twisted his ponytail in his fingers. "Maybe not…"

"We've already busted someone way up in Pleasantview. A teenaged kid who was involved in this. He broke – ironic because of his name – quickly and told us that he only had directions from his boss, which were all received through email, that he was ordered to graffiti and paste posters on stores and break their windows. That was it." Gabe furrowed his brows. "He was only caught because his store had cameras outside."

"This sort of stuff doesn't happen here," Gabe muttered. The General laughed.

"Well, kid, it's starting to happen. Your insight could definitely lead to the arrest of more criminals. Hopefully we can put a stop to this. Thank you for your time," he said, standing up. Gabe followed and they shook hands.

"I'm just curious – who _is _the dog in politics?" Gabe asked. The General let out a short laugh.

"You remind me of my son." He paused for a moment before responding. "No one knows. _None _of us know. That's why we're so interested in the case."

With that, the General left the room. Gabe caught the door and tapped the policeman on the shoulder.

"Hey, officer, can I go now? He's done," Gabe said. The officer turned to him.

"Now you can have your one phone call to bail you out," he said gruffly, pointing to a pay phone across the hall. Gabe laughed.

"You have _got _to be kidding me," he said, scrounging his pockets for change. He found just enough – the twenty-five cents he required – and deposited it.

XX

Her cell phone woke her by vibrating and singing to her. "Ah, can it, Armand!" she shouted to no one in particular, slamming her hand on the phone and hitting the answer key by accident.

"What do you _want?_" she asked, her eyes not even open. "It's the middle of the night."

"Chastity, it's Gabe," she heard. She shot up. Not hearing from him and him not coming home, even when he was out late, was strange. She took the phone and raised it to her ear. "I'm in jail."

"What the hell? Do you need me to bail you out?" she asked, getting out of bed and putting on her jacket. "I'm on my way."

"You don't need money, they just won't let me go without a friend since it's late. Which is _stupid_, considering everyone's going to be dead tired or drunk at one in the morning."

"Oh, the cop's right by you?" she guessed, trotting down the stairs and putting on her flip-flops. "I'm on my way. Hang tight, delinquent."

"I'm not a delinquent, it was a misunder – "

The phone went dead. Chastity smiled, imaging her friend cursing the phone out. Even when he was shy he had a wild enough side. She put her phone in her pocket and jogged to the car

XX

Jessica Peterson was up late. Actually she was up early, since it was around two in the morning. She was pacing, a habit she'd fallen into. Not sleeping was another one.

Her phone buzzed. She answered it in a heartbeat. "Hey there, darling."

She almost said, "Armand?" but stopped herself. It was not Armand. It would never be Armand again.

"Hello," she said. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I didn't figure you'd be up this late." She bit her already ravaged lips. Absently rubbing her arm, she felt the bones that were becoming apparent. "Are you lonely?"

"It's late," she tried. Knowing Carlos Contender's true meaning was part to being his friend.

Also one had to know he never took no for an answer.

"Time is relativity, as is age," he said dismissively.

"The bars are letting out," she blurted out, eyeing the bottle of cheap wine she'd been drinking. That was the only thing she'd had all day. Her stomach twisted, as it had always hated alcohol, but her brain loved it, and that overrode her stomach.

"So what? You're probably drunk. You're always drunk."

She knew it was true. Her chest told her it was true, an increasingly empty feeling taking up the space in her stomach.

"Come over."

"I'm tired," she complained.

"Do I sound like I care?"

So she put down the phone and called a cab.

XX

Sally Riley woke up, brushed her hair, put on her clothes, brushed her teeth, rebrushed her hair, got breakfast, and walked out to the playground without her father noticing. He was asleep. He had been out late on a "date" with that lady down the hall, and in her mind, that meant that she already had a new mommy and sissy.

Didn't he remember her mother?

She scraped her feet on the ground. The sinking feeling was in her chest, the one that her mother called "intuition". When she got the feeling that something was going to happen, her tummy felt weird.

And she knew that her daddy and that lady were going to get married. And have a girl.

The sky began to darken, and it began to rain. She sighed, thinking of her new friend Sofia. They had spent time together doing homework, drawing, playing with Sofia's really cool toys… the only thing that stopped them was the babysitter who came over with Etsu and told her it was time to go home.

Maybe Sofia was free today. She was so much better than her other friends, who constantly criticized what she wore and what she said. The relationship with Sofia was much more relaxed.

Her parents were really cool too.

She got up and crouched under the balcony, taking its shelter from the rain. There was chalk on the sidewalk, lying there idly. She picked up a piece and started drawing.

Soon enough there was a picture of a woman with black hair and a man with brown hair in wedding garb, along with a flower girl that resembled Sally and a ring-bearer that resembled a slightly older Etsu. After that, she drew a new house, along with a baby.

Her predictions would be spot on, Sally knew. If anyone would know that she thought of the predictions first, though, would be the question.

XX

Gabe relaxed on the couch and flicked the television on, picked up a controller, and started playing _SSX 3_.

Chastity frowned as she poured cereal. "Why are you home?"

"Remember? My job got vandalized. Whenever my boss calls and reassigns me I'll be at work. However, she's probably black-out drunk, so I couldn't trust what she says." He selected a character from the main menu. "Other than that I'm not working."

She snorted. "That's just because it's a Saturday."

"Your point?"

She shrugged and joined him on the couch, lounging in her pajamas with her cereal. He socked her in the arm. "What was that?"

"For not getting me cereal," he grumbled. She chuckled and handed the bowl to him. "Thanks."

"Prison has changed you," she joked. He sighed and scratched his head, starting up his game. "So what did they want to talk about?"

"The guys who vandalized the store gave me a message about a dog in politics," he said. "I don't even know what it means. And apparently, neither does the General they sent in from Strangetown."

"Hm. I have relatives in Strangetown. Odd, estranged, allegedly serial killer relatives," Chastity said. "So what did he have to say?"

"He was pretty intense," he said. "The High Rollers are behind it, apparently, and there have been other incidents in multiple cities. The only convicted guy's from Pleasantview." She frowned. "I know, it's weird."

"I'll have to talk to some people about it. It doesn't sound like the criminals in the career are really behind it, either." She tapped her chin. "That's an interesting mystery."

He snorted. "Yeah. All they do is vandalize and post pictures of them. It's idiotic." He took a bite of cereal and his character took a nosedive into snow. "Shit!"

"Language, Gabe!" she admonished, flopping down next to him with her cereal. "I have some stupid meeting. Armand is getting on my nerves."

"Then quit," he suggested, starting a new game. "You can get a job with me. We can slum it in the convenience store for the rest of eternity." She snorted.

"But I _like_ the job," she explained. "It's just him that I don't like." She grabbed a controller. "You ready to go down, Green?"

He smiled. "Oh, sure, as long as you go down first." They dabbled with it between spoons of cereal. "You are working for DeBateau industries. You can't really escape from it."

She shrugged. "Maybe his daughter will take it over. She seems nice enough. And she's adopted. Him and Jessica's DNA… ugh."

Gabe snickered. "The divorcees are our bosses," he pointed out. "And they both dislike us. What are the chances?"

Chastity shrugged. "As long as I get money, I'm good. And the office perks aren't bad, either."

"What are the perks?" he questioned. She turned and grinned.

"Business suits look _dashing _on me."

XX

Frances McCullough was the bad witch of Belladonna Cove.

But she didn't _feel _bad. Was being curious such a bad thing?

She owned the dark castle past the mountains in the town. Her subjects were undyingly loyal, but always ran away from her.

She sat cross-legged on her bed, playing with her wand, letting the sparkles decay into glitter on her bed. That's what the sparkles did; they turned into glitter.

Her room was all black – her favorite color – but the sparkles were everywhere. Frances was more powerful than Phoebe, but she didn't know that.

"Frances!" a sickeningly familiar voice shouted, clicking down the hall. Frances decided to lie back on the bed, allowing her pale fingers to relax over her stomach. Her skin was green – it had been ever since the transformation – but she hid it, casting glamour over herself continuously to see her normal skin color.

The brown haired demon entered the room, her tiny white dress flashing in Frances' eyes. "I heard gossip today!"

"You mean yesterday, and yes, I know," Frances responded inanely, knowing she would tell her the gossip anyway.

"Samantha likes Gabe. Can you believe it?" she asked, a devious twinkle in her eyes. "They're so perfect for each other!"

"Don't you dare mess with them," Frances threatened, sitting up. "If they're the… you know," she trailed off, "and you mess with it, you know what happens."

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "That's a myth, Frances. You're so stupid. And so what if I accidentally slip and have Gabe fall in love with me?" She fluttered her eyes innocently. "He'd make a good conquest."

"Humans are not simply conquests!" Frances hissed, standing up and twirling her wand in her fingers. "They're fascinating, beautiful creatures of habit that – "

"Gag me with a spoon," Phoebe drawled. "I don't care. We're the High Witches, if you need to be reminded. So we are going to be around much longer than those stupid humans." She turned on her heel to leave.

"Don't mess with them," Frances begged. "I like these ones."

Phoebe turned and grinned. "Then I have a bit of a favor…"

XX

Connor Weir was distraught over his roommate's house being vandalized. Not unusually, though, Geoff was out late, so Connor busied himself with cleaning it out.

If he could make enough money, he would move out, but he didn't with his dead end job at DeBateau industries. Sure, his life dream wasn't to work for a soul-sucking corporation, but it paid the rent.

When his roommate finally came home, he was visibly drunk and beat up. "Geoff, what happened?" he questioned. His roommate shook his head, laughing, and went to a window.

"Wow, they really did our – _hic_ – place in good," he said, picking up a few glass shards. "How's the graffiti?"

"Bad – wait, I never said anything about graffiti," Connor said, frowning. Geoff shrugged.

"Everywhere else that got hit had it – get it? Hit," he said, laughing and falling onto the couch from his humor. "I'm so funny."

"Sleep off your drunkedness," Connor ordered. Geoff's eyes flashed to him and darkened.

"I'm not too drunk," he said, getting up and stumbling.

"It's ten in the morning," he said. "And you're still drunk. Yes, you're too drunk. Now go upstairs and sleep." Connor scratched his head as his roommate stomped up the stairs.

He never understood the allure of getting blackout drunk every weekend. Chances were Geoff was going to blow off work to get drunk and he wouldn't have enough money for rent again. When Connor became a family man, he was going to make sure he never did this kind of stuff.

The only problem was whom he was going to be a family man to…

He started sweeping up the broken glass inside of the house, taking care to get it out of the expensive carpets. Cleaning up wasn't anything Connor hated. He figured for when he had six children he should get used to it.

Sighing as he daydreamed, he thought of his perfect family… he would have two girls and two boys, and all of their names would start with C. All that was missing was his wife…

Connor realized his biological clock was ticking. Wasn't that something that girls did? He shrugged and continued cleaning.

Outside of his window, Frances McCullough sighed, pacing away.

XX

"Mm, whatever you're cooking sounds good," Ana Patel said, sauntering out and sniffing the air. "It's distinctly Indian."

"We're distinctly Indian," Ramir joked, stirring a pot while crossing his legs on a counter. "It's curry. But it's vegetarian, so it shouldn't make you sick." She nodded and went to the fridge, picking out a slice of cake. "Don't spoil your appetite!"

"I have unlimited appetite, Ramir," she said, curling up on a chair. "You think we should move out of this apartment? Not tomorrow, of course, but if we're going to have all of those kids…"

He sighed, hopping off of the counter and lifting the bowl up. "Once I get on my feet in the politics of Belladonna. This place sure is different from Desiderata, you know." She giggled and agreed. "I think I'm on solid footing to become the mayor this next election."

He turned and saw his wife's wide eyes. "Really? That's awesome!" She giggled. "I'm in such a good mood today." Ramir nodded and dumped the pot of curry onto a plate and set it in front of his wife.

"If you're not hungry, I could always save this," he reminded her softly. "So how's our little Ana doing?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know it's going to be a little Ramir. It's too sweet to not be a boy." He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "Aw, I love you."

He kissed her forehead. "I love you too. So when do you think you'll go back to work?" She shrugged and took a bite of curry.

"It's hard to wait tables when you have a kid to walk with," she explained. "Plus you'll be busy, so I think I'll need to spend time with him when he's born." He rubbed her shoulder absently, gazing out their window. "Which reminds me, we need to get a crib and other stuff for him." She frowned. "We're so behind on that stuff!"

Ramir chuckled. "I have that covered, darling. Don't worry. Our child will never go without." She took another bite of food. "In fact, the delivery is expected some time this week." She laughed. "Which reminds me: what should her first toy be? I was thinking a bear of some sort."

She vehemently shook her head. "_His _first toy is going to be a freezer bunny because they're cute and durable. We're going to have to wash that thing so much, you know?" He rested his head on hers. "I'll order the bunny online, how about it?"

"Sounds good," he said, taking out the chair from beside her and sitting down. "Give me some cake." She laughed and scooped some to give to him. "That's pretty good. I made it myself, you know."

She laughed and took some frosting and ate it with the curry. Ramir cringed internally, but didn't say anything. "The convenience store has fantastic cooks. Did you know they got hit?"

Ramir frowned. "They did?" He hoped Ryker was okay.

"Yeah, along with that clothing store, the Rutherfords, and the grocery store." Ramir shrugged, getting up to get a glass of water. "They were also spray painted. Kids these days." She shook her head.

Ramir nodded sympathetically. "So what do you want to do today? It's the weekend." She placed her fork into her mouth and looked at the ceiling.

"We should… watch reruns of Dreamer," she suggested. Ramir groaned.

"Oh, come on! That spin off of Pleasant is just lame," he said. "But if you insist…"

"And then we can do SimNation's Next Top Model!" she shouted as he walked to the television to turn it on. "I know how much you love that show."

"I hate it!" he shouted, laughing.

XX

Tara was up at around twelve, which was strange for her. Usually she woke up around two. Her father was home.

"Hello, sweetie," he said gently. "How are you?"

"Fantastic, dad," she replied tiredly, tossing some toaster pastries into the oven. "God, I'm starving."

"How was hanging out with Justin and his friends last night?" he asked. She laughed.

"It was a blast," she said. "You mind if we go out again tonight? Nothing big, just downtown to Simon's house."

He pursed his lips disapprovingly. "What happened to Elizabeth and Zoe? What about Allyn? You haven't talked to her in ages," he said. Tara rolled her eyes.

"They're so _boring_, dad. All they do is talk about boys. Justin's funny and smart, even though he sucks at math. Simon has a car, and he's a blast to be around. Plus he has Andrzej, the exchange student, Ratna, and Pierce Walter."

"What about girls? Feminine influence isn't a bad thing."

Tara lied through her teeth. "Lilly Seavey's their friend. She and I are, like, besties." That wasn't true. Lilly hated her guts, and Tara inferred it was because she secretly liked Justin.

Silly Justin. He had no social graces.

"I don't know any of those kids," Armand said, turning to her. She widened her eyes.

"Whoa, dad. You're wearing a T-Shirt and jeans? Are you sure these are your clothes?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Casual Saturday is my only casual day," he said. "Does it look bad?"

She shook her head and smiled. "No, dad, you look wicked."

He sighed. "Thanks, kiddo. So you want to go out with these kids again?"

Tara nodded and took her toaster pastries out of the oven.

"And you didn't tell me about going out with them, right?"

She bit her lip, but she nodded.

"And how much have you gone out with them?"

"Just Thursday and Friday," she muttered. He sighed.

"Tara, Tara, Tara… what am I going to do with you?" he questioned. She shrugged, taking a bite of the pastry. She highly doubted he was going to let her out. He had a tight hand on her. "Well… if you really want to go out, be home by eleven."

She grinned. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," he said. "In fact, you can have the day free if you want to. I have some business to take care of."

Tara bounced up and down and ran up to her father, giving him a hug and a kiss. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to call Justin right now…"

He sighed, turning back to the television. His daughter was a fantastic girl. But she couldn't grow away from him. He needed that heir.

And she would have to be the heir. Who else could he trust?

He heard her start to call her friend. "Yeah, Justin? Are you free today? Fantastic! Because my dad let me off the hook…"

XX

Vivian and Timothy had so much fun on their last date that they had planned a picnic already, bringing the kids along.

Timothy's only problem? He couldn't find Sally.

"Sally!" he shouted, stepping outside. The rain was still pouring, and Timothy was beginning to become frantic. Vivian joined him, linking her arm with his. Little Etsu toddled after her, figuring out that her legs could do more than stumble: they could run. "Sally Riley!"

"She'll turn up," Vivian promised him. "I know she will. She doesn't just run off, does she?"

He shook his head. "And she doesn't have her coat – oh, where is she? I figured she just went down to the playground."

"Mama, what's this?" Etsu asked, pointing at the ground. Timothy saw Vivian turn to look at the ground.

He took a breath in. Whatever it was looked interestingly beautiful and made of chalk.

Taking a closer look, they resembled him… and Vivian…

"Hm," he said, kneeling down and looking. "I didn't know… that Sally draws." He looked at the images, seeing a wedding and a kid. _Holy…_

He really hoped it was Sally was just hoping for this stuff.

A woman with red hair and a long dress on had her hand on Sally's shoulder as they walked back, her other hand wrapped around an umbrella. Sally had a book in hand and seemed to act pleasantly.

She sauntered up and saw Timothy. "Hey, daddy," she said casually. "Did you like my drawings?"

"They were nice, sweetie, now who is this?" he asked, his eyes on the woman. Her eyes widened and she stepped away.

"This is my friend Frances," Sally said happily. "She's magical."

The woman, Frances, chuckled and shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Riley. I was simply keeping an eye on her since she was on the playground alone, and when it started to rain I decided to ask her if she was okay. We just took a walk, honest." She extended her hand. "I'm Frances McCullough. I hope we don't get off on the wrong foot, sir." He took it reluctantly.

"Did she hurt you, Sally?" His daughter shook her head, grinning.

"She gave me a cool book!" she said brightly, flaying her sketchbook in front of him. "Frances is really nice."

He frowned at the woman. Her aura seemed bad to him. "Sally, we're on a picnic. Come on, sweetie." She frowned.

"Can't she come too?" Sally questioned. Vivian put a hand on the small of his back.

"She doesn't seem completely terrible," she whispered. "Why not get to know her to make sure Sally's okay?" He shrugged. "Come on."

"You're a nice lady," he muttered back, stepping away from her. "Would you like to join us on our picnic?"

The woman shrugged. "I really can't. But I'd love to give you my number so we can chat about your daughter. I apologize for taking her away without your permission." Timothy hesitated but they exchanged numbers.

"Thank you for being so accommodating," Vivian said. Frances nodded.

"You two make a lovely couple."

She walked off with that, leaving them alone. Timothy, shaken from the incident, grabbed his daughter and put an arm around her protectively. "Are you sure you're okay, sweetie?"

She nodded, looking confused. "You're overreacting. So how are we going to have this picnic in the rain?" she asked, smiling sweetly.

Timothy scratched his head. "Um…" Vivian laughed from behind him. Sally left his side and picked up Etsu.

"She's a nice little girl," Sally said, smiling at her. Etsu giggled and touched her hair.

"Pretty hair!" she shouted. Timothy felt Vivian shift to look at them.

"If only we had a sitter," Timothy whispered. Vivian froze and turned to him. "Oh, I'm sorry… I said… sorry…"

"No," she said, frowning at him. "It's just very forward of you."

"I've only felt this forward to one other woman and she's dead," he revealed. Vivian smiled at him. "What do you say?"

Vivian turned and stole a look at the children. "But we can't leave them, you know." He sighed.

"They certainly complicate things." They gave a collective sigh. "But I definitely have a place we can have the picnic."

They ended up in the lobby of their apartment, much to their landlord's dismay. But he didn't move them. The collection of them was simply too cute to disturb.

XX

Frances felt like a good person, but she knew that once someone was a bad witch that wasn't allowed.

Yet when she saw that girl, something moved in her. It felt like hope and she immediately felt the need to guard and protect. And she knew that little girl was going to be a cure… a catalyst, of sorts, that would allow something big to happen. Frances' power moved inside of her.

Once she was away she noticed that the girl seemed happier, too. She must have been sad about her parents too…

A feeling that was all too familiar to Frances returned, one of being unnoticed and unneeded. It was too familiar…

"_Kay, come meet your new daddy!" _

_Frances stood up as her older and taller sister got up, her long dress looking good on her as it always did. Living at their great aunt's house was old and lonely, considering the old woman didn't spend any time with them. _

"_Cissy, don't be such a floozie," her sister admonished as the girls got up, their hair in odd curls. _

_Her mother, wearing an incredibly expensive looking dress and a hat, clomped in, an elderly and rich man at her arm. "This is Charles Ruth. We're now husband and wife." _

_Kay gasped and hugged her mother while Frances simply stood, frowning at the couple. It was wrong. Her mother was supposed to be married to Frank McCullough, not this… fossil!_

"_What's wrong, Francie? Are you upset that you didn't get a present? Of course Charles got you something." The old man reached in his coat pocket and handed her a wrapped box. Frances carefully opened it as her sister crossed her arms and looked upon her, her light brown hair in bangs and curls. That hairstyle had always looked terrible on her. _

_It was a necklace with a giant F on it. She wilted, realizing that it was a cheap gift from the shop down the road. The boys there constantly leered at Frances, making comments about her hair and other things even though she was only ten. _

_Her lip trembled. "I don't want it."_

"_You're ungrateful," her sister, Kay, declared. "It's stupid, how wrapped up you are in Father. He was simply a man, and now he is dead, like we will always be." _

_Frances' eyes clouded with tears. "We aren't all going to die," she whispered. "There are forces greater than you, Kay." _

Frances snapped her eyes open, trying to get out of the memory. It had a power, trying to suck her in and make her remember.

But she didn't _want _to remember.

XX

_TL;DR (sorry I forgot it last time): Gabe is interrogated. Chastity goes and picks him up. Jessica Peterson gets a booty call from Carlos Contender, thickening the plot. Sally wanders away from her apartment building. Gabe and Chastity talk through cereal and SSX 3. Phoebe Adams asks a favor of Frances. Connor Weir cleans glass as his drunk roommate Geoff acts weird. Ramir and Ana talk about the break ins. Tara's dad gives her permission to go out with Justin because of a business engagement. Sally returns after scaring a coupled Vivian and Timothy and they have a picnic in the lobby of the hotel. Frances has a disjointed flashback. _


	6. Chapter 5: Baba O'Riley

_A/N: I love you. Also: Tara has a little longer hair than in her picture on the wiki simply because she's not twelve. _

_Okay, I've been putting this off because of nerves, but I'm replying to my two loyal reviewers: _

_Heart of the Wind: I love that you ask questions ;) but to answer your question, Phoebe is a good witch, but just because one's a good witch does not mean they are a good person. _

_ . .Live: your comment telling me I was a great writer made my day more than any English teacher could… Thank you so much!_

_On with the show. This is a really long teenage chapter. I had a gigantic amount of issues writing it. So if it sucks do not be discouraged; it will get better. _

_XX_

Chapter 5: Baba O'Riley

"How was your weekend?" Tara asked her friends when she entered school. They shrugged and murmured their assent. "Yeah, mine was cool too…"

_Already bored,_ she said, spotting Simon through the crowd. Having a blast over the weekend was only part of her intrigue with them. The other part was how much fun they had with each other. It wasn't ever boring with them. Someone always had a joke, a story, or something to debate about.

They were, in a way, free.

Unlike her group of friends, who sat on the steps in front of the school looking as unanimated as possible.

She spotted Andrzej making his way through the crowd and latched onto him. "What's up, And – Andrz – I – "

"It's Andre with a mashed sound in the middle," he explained, giving a warm smile to her. "Come on, we find our friends."

"God, you're so foreign," she said, cracking a smile. He swiftly pulled her through the crowd of teenagers to a corner.

And of course Lilly was there. As was Justin, but Lilly was there.

"Oh, look, it's the little slut," she said acidly. "If I knew we were bringing in vermin, I would have cleared the alley long before now."

Tara sighed and rolled her eyes. "Aren't there already vermin in an alley?" she questioned lightly, walking past her to Justin, Simon, and Ratna. Their other friend, Pierce, was there too. He was quiet and wise, hanging around because of Ratna and their matched intellects. Watching them play chess was fascinating. He'd even taught her to play.

"What's up, boys?" she asked. Justin smiled and she leaned against the wall with him. "This weekend was awesome. Not dealing with Overly Attached Dad? Priceless." Justin smiled at her.

"It was a nice weekend, wasn't it?"

She nodded, kicking a stone up with her boot. Today it was a black skirt with a white sweater. The colors' contrast was one of her favorite things. In fact, she wanted to redecorate her room in black and white. Everything was organized and one way when there was no gray.

"I'm telling you kindly," Ratna said, glaring at Pierce, "that Level 12 in Warrior Class is _way_ better than Level 12 in the Fishing Class."

"Yes, but Fishing Class perks are way better."

"That's irrelevant!" Ratna yelled, clenching his fists. "The perks are only given if one does a good job in battle – not that you would. Warrior Class gives you both protection _and _perks."

Tara raised her eyebrows at Justin "What, exactly, are they arguing about?"

He shrugged. "Some World of Simcraft-esque game," he said. Both of them glared at him. "What?"

"Don't pretend you don't play that game," Ratna said, pushing his glasses onto his nose. Ratna had a certain charm to him. He was cool and unconcerned. If Tara cared, he might have been attractive. "We have our own guild."

Justin laughed nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Pierce glanced at Tara and smirked. "Tara, have you ever seen Justin play World of Simcraft?"

She frowned. "No, we usually just do school work together." Andrzej clapped a hand on Ratna's shoulder.

"Is it homework you're doing?" Andrzej questioned. "I mean, is it really?" Tara chuckled as the bell rang.

They walked into their first class, but Justin was hanging back. Tara was confused but she waited with him.

"Hey," she said. "You have a fantastic bunch of friends."

"Yeah, the guys are great," he said offhandedly. "It's been fun hanging out with you too."

"Any knowledge as to why Lilly hates me?" she questioned. "I mean, it's not like anything was lost, but still…"

Justin shrugged. "I don't know… she's fine around me."

Tara mulled that over. "I've never seen you two around each other. Maybe it's something I can't see since she leaves every time I'm around."

He nodded. "I'll ask her. Anyway, you want to go to your house to study today? It's much roomier."

She shrugged. "Sure. We can take the bus. Is Simon okay with going over?"

He bit his lip. "Ah… I'll ask him later," Justin said awkwardly, scratching his head. "And I'll ask Lilly too. If she's good with it."

Tara rolled her eyes and nodded. "Sure. Whatever you say."

He gave her a shy smile and they went off to his first class. _What a sweet boy, _she thought, walking off to class right behind him.

XX

Justin and his friends had a free early in the day that they used to work on robotics. Lilly was there, of course, and had an incredibly sour look on her face. Every time Justin tried to catch her eye she rolled hers and turned away. She acted like they weren't even friends.

They used to be friends, though. She sat in the corner on a chair, her spindly limbs crossed in front of her. Her short hair stuck to her forehead. A sour expression danced on her face. She _was _on the robotics team but she hadn't been working lately. Justin had a sinking feeling like it was his fault.

Ratna was working diligently on their robot. Pierce was cutting metal with an incredibly loud saw. And Andrzej was entertaining another exchange student, a pretty girl named Ada. He got an excuse, though – he was terrible at robots, only joining because Simon had convinced him.

Simon shot him a glance, raising his eyebrow at Lilly. He was asking what was wrong with her. Justin shrugged, writing something in his logbook about attendance.

"Fix it," he muttered. Justin knew he was right. But judging by the look on her face, she was murderous. And who likes messing with a woman scorned?

Simon rolled his eyes and continued doing his overdue math homework. Justin glanced around at the people in the room. No one was really paying attention to him. Robotics was a somber time when there were tensions.

He sighed and walked up to Lilly and took a seat next to her. "Hey, Lilly. How are you?" he tried amicably.

She scrunched up her nose. "Good. Where's your girlfriend?" She turned and glared at him.

He knew his face probably turned bright red, but he kept going. "She isn't my girlfriend, and she wonders why you hate her. In fact, she invited you over today." _She probably doesn't even like me,_ he thought.

Lilly gave him an incredulous look and chuckled. "You're kidding me, right?" He frowned. "God, you're so stupid. Well, she's pretty stupid, too."

"What?" He frowned at her as she rolled her eyes acidly.

"Look, idiot. You're like in love with her. I mean, she's not even that pretty, but… that's a conflict of interest for me, okay?" she shouted, pushing her body up and walking out of the room.

Justin looked back and Simon. He chuckled softly, getting up to comfort him.

"Where did I go wrong?" he asked. Simon patted him softly on the back.

"Dude, I think she likes you," he said. "It's only natural, of course."

Justin frowned. "Why is that?"

Simon clapped his back. "Because you're a stud."

He rolled his eyes, making sure he kept his gaze off of the door. A girl – liking him? That was insane. He was way too socially awkward and nerdy for anyone to like him. Sure, he was fine after someone got to know him, but that took time and effort. Most people didn't have either of those.

"Man, I've got to go after her. Even if I'm not interested in her, I should at least try and save our robotics team."

Andrzej looked up from Ada and nodded. "That's the spirit." The shy girl nodded, her dark blonde hair bobbing with her.

Simon shook his head sadly. "He's too desperate," he said as the two got up and walked out of the room.

She wasn't hard to find. Lilly was standing by her locker, looking at a textbook. She glared up at them. "What do you two want?"

"Don't be dramatic, Lilly," Simon groaned. "We need a good robotics team, and if we're all at odds, that's going to be hard to do. You get me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. As long as the ginger bitch doesn't come running around."

Justin cocked his head. "Why are you so mad at her? She's done nothing."

She sighed exasperatedly. "Come on, Justin. I _like_ you, and you're spending your time running after a girl who doesn't care."

Justin walked away, deciding that he was too busy to fight that battle right then.

XX

Tara was almost falling asleep in the last class of the day, math. Algebra swam in front of her tired eyes, the teacher droning on and on.

Finally – _finally_ – the bell rang. Tara gathered her stuff and said her goodbyes before walking out of class. She paced to her locker where Justin was already waiting, leaning against the wall texting.

She elbowed him as she stepped up to her combination lock. "What's up, Robot Boy?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that what they're calling me these days?" She shrugged. "Well, it's better than anything else they made up."

"I suppose," she said, grabbing some textbooks out of her locker. "So is Simon coming?"

He shook his head. "He's busy. Something about a friend at home. You ready to go?" he questioned. She rolled her eyes and handed him a pile of books. "Wow, you're really going all out on this homework thing."

"I didn't pay attention in math. I'll have to look over the textbook to figure out some stuff," she explained. "And then I have to do some English reading, along with a little bit of lab write-up for Physics."

He exhaled lightly. "Wow, you're booked." She pursed her lips and nodded, slamming her locker shut. "Ready now?"

She nodded and the two made their way to the bus.

XX

"Sweet!" Tara said, looking around. Her father wasn't home and it was relatively early. She looked around for a letter and found one on the kitchen counter. Rounding it while ditching her stuff on the couch, she picked it up and hopped onto the counter. "'Tara – I'll be out late again tonight. I left you money to order something for dinner. Love, Daddy'," she read, slapping it down on the counter. "Score!"

Justin smiled softly and dropped his stuff by hers. He walked over to join her when she hopped down.

"Dude, my makeup's a mess. Let me redo it," she said, skipping off to her bathroom. He sighed, waiting for her.

He took advantage of that to text Simon. Simon had already beaten him to it. _How's it going? _

Justin sighed and typed back. _Fine. She's doing her makeup. _

His phone buzzed as she came back. "Okay, back. You want to start on my homework with me?" He sighed.

"I was hoping we could do something fun here." She sighed.

"But I have to tutor you, Justin. Isn't that why we're here?"

Justin cringed internally. That was _not _why they were here, he hoped.

Her red hair looked fantastic when it was down and had a slight curl to it. He sighed as she turned to get her math book. He joined her, still tired of homework.

Of course, that was high school on the weekdays. Hours of homework.

She took out a pencil and her notebook and began to scribble down the work she was supposed to do, her lead flitting across the page like a sprite. Tara was incredibly smart. That was the reason she was his tutor.

"Is your mom going to miss you?" she questioned. He raised his eyebrows. "Like, do you need to be home for dinner? Because we could order a pizza or something."

He shook his head. "I can call them if they get worried. I'm in a fine area of town," he snickered, writing his name at the top of the page. He realized that his handwriting was horrible compared to hers.

"Yeah, but you don't have a ride," she realized. "I don't want to get you in trouble." He smiled at her concern.

There were reasons why she was such a fantastic girl. She was funny, sensitive, smart, and very cute. She wrinkled as if to prove his point. Her nose could look bad on someone but she pulled it off effortlessly.

"I won't get in trouble," he assured her, giving her a smile. He checked his phone. _Don't back out,_ Simon cautioned. _Rejection is not the worst thing. _

He nodded and put it away. But, unfortunately, he had the feeling he would have to wait.

XX

Once they had mulled through a little bit of homework, Tara got bored, so she jumped up and went to the phone. Justin followed, watching her the entire way.

"Do you like cheese pizza?" she asked, dialing the delivery number. "I'm starving." She picked up the twenty-dollar bill and twirled it in her fingers.

He shrugged. "Whatever you want."

She giggled. "You sure are concentrated on me," she said as the phone finally picked up. "Oh, hello. I'd like to order a pizza for delivery…"

Justin retreated, opening his phone again. _Why doesn't she like me? _

"…awesome! Thanks," she said, hanging up the phone. "Justin, you want to watch a movie or something? I think the homework's a lost cause."

He looked back and nodded. "Sure. Just a second."

_She doesn't know._

And everything clicked. It wasn't fair to be mad at her because she didn't know how much of his time he'd devoted to thinking about her, time he had traded for important time like homework and robotics and friend time.

His mood lightened considerably. She was simply oblivious to his affections aside from being completely adverse to them.

He smiled as he joined her on the couch. "God, I'm hungry. I hope the pizza comes soon," she said. "You're still staring at me, dude."

"Sorry." He moved toward her to the point that their shoulders were touching. She didn't seem to mind.

Glancing at her hair, he held his gaze. Before she looked at him, though, he turned away to watch the movie.

"I love horror movies," she said, crossing her arms and leaning against him. "I haven't seen this one yet – _Cats_?"

Justin had seen it before. "Yeah, it's okay," he said casually. She glanced at him.

"You know a ton about movies, don't you?" she said, leaning into him. His heart raced at her head on his shoulder. Her red hair flayed down his arm.

And so they watched.

XX

"Oh god!" she squeaked. The sun had gone down and it was dark, and the scary part of the movie corresponded with the outside. "This part is scary."

It was sad because the movie wasn't even that scary. But judging by her pulsing heart that he could feel and her short breaths, she was legitimately scared.

"Do you scare easily?" he asked, turning and speaking into her head.

She nodded. "I thought this one would be better. Like, not as scary."

She had a point. The box looked pretty tacky. However, it was a cult film and he knew it was pretty violent and scary.

He knew what as going to happen – nothing good – but he didn't complain. "I know," he whispered, leaning against her. She grabbed his arm, linking her elbow with his and holding it like a pillow.

His heart raced right along with her but for presumably different reasons.

"I'm scared," she whispered. The cat lady was finally dying and a cat was creeping up to the body… It was probably going to eat her.

All he could think about was how close she was to him. Her shampoo smelled like perfection and her breath was sharp on his arm. Her grip tightened as the cat hopped onto the gasping woman's chest and pawed her neck with its sharp claws.

But goddamn, she was so perfect… from her upturned nose that worked in perfect harmony with her face and her light dusting of freckles over her cheeks and nose and her slight blush and the absolutely great expression and –

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

He faltered and shook his head. "Nothing. Sorry." She hit his shoulder so he turned back around. He eagerly turned back, but her confused expression hit him.

"What?" she asked again.

It was impulsive to say the least, reckless to say the most. But he didn't care because all he was doing was touching her back and feeling her neck… Melodramatic music played in the background. But Justin was able to tune it out because he was kissing the girl he had absolutely adored for at least a year, the girl who was his tutor, and the girl who was absolutely brilliant and beautiful –

She pulled away and exhaled softly, brushing her hair back. "What was that?"

He couldn't keep the smile off of his face so he turned away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

Waiting for her reply was agonizing. He concentrated on the cat tearing chunks out of the elderly woman and eating it. It was frankly disgusting, but looking at her would be worse.

He felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning way too enthusiastically, he faced her. She was way too close for his comfort, but he didn't move.

"I didn't mind," she whispered. His eyes widened. "But… just to make sure…"

"Again," he murmured, putting his hands on her neck and the back of her head. This time she kissed him, curling her knees up under herself and turning to him.

And they kissed, listening to the sick sounds of an old woman being eaten by cats.

XX

"Is it almost over?" Tara asked, curled up at Justin's side, hugging his arm. He didn't complain, but it was a curious habit. "Because I'm never getting a cat."

"We kissed through the really scary part," he joked, finding her hand and lacing his fingers with hers. "Why do you hang onto my arm like this?"

She looked down as if she didn't really understand what she was doing. "Oh! Is it a problem?" she asked, biting her lip. He quickly shook his head. "Well... when I was in the orphanage, a girl and I used to sleep in the same bed with our arms like that. It kept the scary sounds out," she said. "It might have not been that. I was really young, like, four."

He nodded, resting his head on hers. "You never talk about that."

"I'm pointedly ignoring that question." They watched the end as the cats began to scrape at the walls of the burning mansion, the cops watching somberly from outside of it. "Um… Justin? What does this make us now?"

He chuckled and put his arm around her back, feeling for her hip. "Whatever you want us to be." He didn't add anything else because he hadn't expected her to kiss him back.

Or, as she did, kiss him back _a lot_.

"Aren't guys supposed to choose that stuff?" she groaned. "And how is anyone supposed to take this?"

"This sounds like you take it to be something," he commented lightly, pulling her onto his lap. She turned and stroked his cheek.

"Maybe I do," she joked, her legs lying on the couch next to him. "This is an interesting situation. It will definitely make tutoring difficult."

He laughed. "I'll find a new one if it becomes a problem, Tara," he said. And they kissed again.

"Honey I'm – oh," Armand DeBateau said, walking into the door and finding them there. "Tara," he said evenly and coolly.

"Dad," she said, getting up to try and reason with him. "I didn't – we didn't…"

"I'm going to go," he said. "I'll call a cab or something." Armand caught his arm.

"Oh, no, I couldn't let you go out alone," he said darkly, turning to catch his eyes. "I'll drive you home, Justin."

Tara cringed. "Come on, dad, that's not necessary."

He turned to her and gave her a blank look. "I believe it is when my heiress is basically having intercourse on my couch."

She blushed and Justin looked at his feet. "It wasn't like that."

He fixed her with a look. "We will talk about this when I return. Go to your room and don't call up any of your other make out buddies."

Her face killed Justin but he had no choice but to go with her father. He kept a heavy hand on his shoulder and guided him downstairs to his garage. "Get in the passenger seat," he said plainly, almost politely. He knew different, though, as he opened the car door and went into the night.

"Do you know where I live?" Justin asked. Armand chuckled.

"Of course I do. I keep my eye on all of her friends and have my agents on all of you. You do realize who Tara is, right?" he questioned.

"Um… your daughter?"

He laughed again and shook his head. "She is the heiress to my corporation. When I die or pass it on, she will become the new CEO. And do you realize what that means?" His questions were leading and measured, much like a teacher's would be.

He shrugged. "I don't."

"It means she has an image to uphold. Every eye is on her, whether she likes it or not. That is why hanging out with your crowd will not be a good idea. Why?" He took a right and started down a different road. "Because your crowd is uninspired nerds who have no real future. She needs a power husband… if I say it – arm candy." He frowned. "And you, Justin, are not arm candy nor are you promising."

"I still don't understand what you're saying, sir," he said quietly.

"I'm saying to stay away from my daughter." Justin let that sink in.

Well, that wasn't fair, he decided. But he didn't say anything…

"Stay away from Tara and there will be no consequences. Of course you get the choice," he said, "but you'll find that my point of view is very convincing."

"Why?" Justin asked, seeing the lights of his house come into view.

Armand turned to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder – although it was more threatening than comforting. "I can do a lot of frightening things. I would definitely recommend not trying me." He slammed the brakes, causing Justin to jump. "It was nice talking to you, Justin."

"Th-thank you, sir," he managed, getting out of the car and walking into his house.

XX

"Dad, I – "

"I don't want to talk about it until tomorrow," Armand said, walking in the door. "Go to bed." Tara glared at him.

"What did you tell him?" she asked. "Tell me you didn't."

"Didn't what?" Armand questioned, giving her a bored glance. "Tara, you're a young adult now. You shouldn't be messing around with teenagers."

She scoffed. "Why not, dad? I'm a teenager. I should be out having fun and doing things I shouldn't and having fun with boys – "

"You have an image to be upheld!" he hissed at her. She widened her eyes and stood up. Her father didn't yell. He didn't get angry. He simply became quieter and withdrawn or, in extreme circumstances, threatening. Which he probably was to Justin, she knew.

Then her eyes darkened again.

"Well, at least I'm not gay," she muttered darkly. "Then you wouldn't have any more heirs at all. I'd probably sell the business. That's what this is all about, isn't it?" She stomped off. "About your stupid little business. Stock. Money. Bonds. Like I even care about this sort of stuff!" she yelled.

He folded his hands in his lap. "Tara, you need to calm down. We'll talk about this tomorrow. But until further notice, you are not to see that boy."

She rolled her eyes, walking off to her room. "Whatever, dad. I hate you."

Acid words made her acid stomach feel better as she flopped down on her bed and put in headphones. Maybe she could forget about this.

XX

_TL;DR: Justin goes over to Tara's house. Some canoodling occurs. Then Armand finds them and becomes rather threatening to him while taking him home. _

_Coming up soon: a chapter I won't actually have to be bored writing. _

XX


	7. Chapter 6: Wicked Schemes

_A/N: Holy OC Batman! You can borrow him. I don't care. He's a plot device. _

_I broke 100 views! Incredibly happy. Thank you so much. Also you should read my friend and I's Walking Dead fanfic, if you're into it. At the End of the Day. It's on my favorite author/story page if you fail at searching. _

Chapter 6: Wicked Schemes

Connor Weir was on his computer late at night, carefully typing in data to an online encyclopedia. It was a hobby of his, correcting entries of people trying to figure out things from the abandoned Shang Simla. Sure, it was nerdy, but it was fun as hell.

He was met by a ring of the doorbell. Geoff Rutherford moaned at him to get it since he was on the couch watching football. Monday night was probably a bad time to be ringing, but Connor never thought of it and got up to answer it anyway.

"Hold it, bro," Geoff said, stopping Connor in his tracks. "You want to get me a beer?"

Connor snorted. "Fat chance, _bro_," he replied, chuckling the word back. He walked quickly to the refrigerator and retrieved the bottle.

"God speed. Mondays suck," Geoff declared, opening it and guzzling it like a frat boy in college. Connor sighed. He hated drinking.

Opening the door, he saw a pretty redhead with a slightly large mouth looking at him. "Connor," she said carefully. He saw a sadness in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what? Who are you?" he asked, furrowing his brows. She took out a long stick with… shine? Shine coming out of it. What was it? What _was that strange stick?_

"_In amorem incidere,_" she whispered, _"cum _Sam Cordial."

He blinked and the woman closed the door.

He walked back to the couch and sat next to Geoff blankly. "Geoff," he said robotically, "do you think that Sam Cordial is good looking?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, dude, I guess. I mean, if you go for plain chicks," he said. "And gothic ones. Oh, that must be her sister. I kind of like her sister. I mean, I'd sleep with her if you know what I mean."

"I think I love Samantha Cordial," he said, his eyes fixed as he got up and went upstairs. Geoff laughed and drank more beer.

"Whatever you're calling love, dude, is definitely more like sexual attraction," he said, laughing more. "Have fun with that."

XX

Chastity was out and about after work and was still out when someone she didn't really like approached her in the bar. Carlos Contender was not her favorite person and she'd only hooked up with him _that one time _and she didn't really like his slut toy either.

Who was, of course, there.

She put on her dumbest face and was prepared to humor him and Arm Candy away. But he told her to stay at their table and he walked over to her – alone.

_Well, isn't that strange, _she mused, crossing her arms and smiling. "Hello, Carlos," she said darkly. "How are you this enchanted evening?"

He smirked at her, taking a seat. Their manners were both flirtatious and precocious. Perhaps that's why they clashed. "I notice you're feasting on the bar pretzels. Are you trying to get fat, Chastity?" He spat her name like a curse, pointing out the obvious fallacies in her name.

"I didn't choose my name, you dick," she spat back. The fat joke was a low blow simply because she was a girl and obsessed about weight.

He simply chuckled and kept his blasé expression on his face. To anyone else it would be infuriating but Chastity knew how to deal with it.

"No need to get angry, Chaste," he scolded. "I have a business deal for you. I have a feeling your CEO job sucks under Armand."

"You and Armand are best friends," she muttered. "And yeah, working under him sucks, but I have to keep getting my rent money."

"My new line of work will get you rent money," he said. "And if you keep your job, you will gain even more."

"That's generally how jobs work, Carlos. You take two and get double the money. You're finally catching on!" she exclaimed, feigning excitement on her face.

"Shut up, Chastity. Just listen. You distribute some emails from a dummy account, give out a few flyers, and deliver the occasional package and you get a ton of money for every job."

She frowned. "This sounds too good to be true."

"I may be a player, Chastity, but I'm not scam artist," he said, flicking her a business card. "Call me or email me if you're interested." He got up, but before he left, he turned.

She still had her arms crossed, a smirk on her stained lips. The deal sounded interesting. And what was Chastity if she wasn't adventurous?

XX

"Are you going to have a party soon?" Sam asked. She was at Gabe's house, lying down on his couch. He was writing hurriedly on a pad of paper, his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He had his brown hair in a ponytail.

She watched his pen fly back and forth, wishing she could write like that.

"Yeah, probably," he said. "Is Thursday good? Jessica's never gotten back to me about the job. I'm hoping this manuscript can tide me over for a while."

"If it's about money – "

He looked up, giving her an incredulous look. "You are not loaning me money, Sam."

"But it's not a problem and our house is basically paid off since my parents – "

"Sh," he said, looking back to his paper. "What do you think of a villain finally revealed being the neighbor next door? I'm stuck on that part."

She bit her lip. "Too cliché. Too… _Lovely Bones._ How about… Who's the dad's best friend?"

The story was about a family with a mother, a father, and three children, two girls and a boy. The father had a very affluent group of friends and they hung out a lot with their families. One of his friends, the best friend, had no family but was the richest of them all. He helped them along but then the father went to jail, the eldest daughter got pregnant, the youngest daughter was found drowned, and the mother had an affair with an unknown man and left him while he was in jail for a crime not his own.

"No… way," he said, lowering his glasses at her. "This story was written for that."

"The affair's with him," she said, flipping channels on the television. "Gabe, I love your house."

He smirked and nodded. "Pretty sweet place. In fact, I love it so much that I pay the ridiculous rent on it."

She snickered and turned the television off. "I'm bored, Gabe." She walked over to his couch and fell down on it. "Entertain me."

He put down his notepad. "Do you want me to lose my incredibly expensive pad? I'm trying to make money."

They sat with their shoulders touching, Sam's legs curled up underneath her. "Where's Chastity?" she replied to his question.

"I'm taking that as a no," he said, picking up his pad again. She pouted.

"Stop trying to get rid of me," she whined. He patted her head.

"Fine. Let me jot down your idea and then we can do something." He scribbled on the top of the notepad and put it down. "Alright, princess, what do we want to do?"

She scrunched up her nose. "Princess?"

"Yeah, because you can get me to do whatever the hell you want like a servant," he growled, elbowing her. She laughed.

"So where _is _Chastity?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Probably out at a bar not getting drunk. She has principles, you know," he said, getting up and meandering to the kitchen. Sam followed and curled up on the counter. "Dang, do you always sit like a cat?"

She shrugged. "I haven't ever noticed. Do I?"

"Yes," he said, laughing as she pretended to lick her wrist. "Come here, kitty." He helped her off the counter and lowered her gently to the floor.

"You're remarkably strong for a writer and a convenience store worker," she commented as he let go of her waist. He shrugged.

"What can I say? _I lift._"

"You're such a dork," she said, punching his arm. "Now what can we do?" She spun around the kitchen in her socks and jeans. "I'm thinking we should play a game."

He laughed, jumping back onto the couch. "Like what?"

She leaned over the back of it and looped an arm around him. "What are your life goals?"

He started laughing hard. "That's not a game. That's the college counselor's torture question." She hopped over the couch and leaned into him. "Aw, is the kitty tired?"

"I'm not a cat!" she protested. "But I am tired."

"You want to sleep over? You're welcome. I'll sleep on the couch."

She twisted up inside. If she was going to stay over, she'd rather they share the bed. But vocalizing that would be impossible and if he said no, they'd never be friends again.

A girl or a boy could be making the first move, in her opinion. But it was too desperate if she did it.

"Um, no," she said, twisting her hair in her fingers. "I can get home. Do you want me to leave right now?"

He quickly shook his head. "Of course not. I'd love to play your twisted little game. Let's see… I've always dreamed of becoming a doctor," he said. Her eyes lit up.

"I'm a nurse," she said. "I can get you a job if you want. Unless you're attached to the convenience store worker life."

She watched him mull that over. "See," he said, "and I'll keep my convenience store job, but if I get the job, I'll work less nights." She hugged him.

"We get to work together!" she exclaimed. "Well, you know. If my boss approves, which I'm sure he will." He smiled and got up. "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting you a snack. And then we will do _something_ while we wait up for Chastity."

"But she usually comes home late."

He shot her a devious grin. "Exactly."

XX

Vivian and Timothy had somehow fallen into the same bed and things had proceeded from there. She woke up at around midnight and went to the bathroom, checked her hair, and washed all of her makeup off.

Figuring she was going to be an atrocious mess regardless, she stripped down into her more comfortable underwear instead of half-discarded dress clothes and returned to his bed.

"Do you think that Etsu and Sally are okay?" he asked sleepily. He was in his underwear and Vivian laid down next to him, running her cold hands down his bare stomach. He groaned pleasurably.

"I'll check on them," she said, getting up. He caught her waist and pulled her back.

"Do you have to?"

She rolled her eyes and got up. Etsu was in Sally's room, the two sleeping side by side on the same bed. Etsu was old enough to be okay without her crib, but it was better for Vivian's sanity if she was in the crib. However, Sally seemed to be perfectly okay with the child sleeping next to her.

Vivian returned and crawled back into bed. Immediately Timothy reached for her and held her now bare stomach. The feeling of scorching skin was pleasant to hers. Why were guys always so hot? Etokas had been that hot, too…

That was a bad thought. She curled up at the vision of his face.

"Wha's wrong?" Timothy slurred, his eyes still quietly closed. She turned to him.

"Killing my mood," she admitted. "Thinking of Etokas."

"Dead husband?" he murmured. "Try dead wife. Olivia." He sighed. "Pretty. Smart. Funny. Dead."

She frowned at him. Obviously, he wasn't completely awake. "How'd she die?" she asked with a sick fascination. He exhaled lightly.

"Electrical accident," he yawned, gripping Vivian's hips tighter. "Always trying to fix stuff. Had a mistake." His eyes fluttered open. "Yours?"

"Shooting," she whispered. "He was a cop."

"Oh." His eyes closed again. "You're pretty, Vivian."

"Thank you," she said, smiling to herself. Having such a perfect man made her happy, something she didn't remember clearly. There wasn't a time where she was worried about money or tired or bored or anxious or had a need to advance in something. But now… she was simply happy.

He absently rubbed her shoulder as she rolled over, letting herself fall back into his throes of sleep.

XX

Tara expected her father to stop her but he was already gone by the time she was leaving. That was surprising. He usually waited for her.

Then again, he totally overreacted to her kissing him. It was a kiss!

She went down to the bus and found Justin, but she didn't sit by him. Her family had probably already freaked him out.

All she could remember was kissing him. She hadn't even realized that she liked him. But now he was all she could think about.

XX

On the playground Sally was crying. All of her friends had stopped talking to her and she didn't know why. All she knew was how desperately alone she felt. Sofia wasn't out at recess. She was inside making up a spelling test.

The swing set was abandoned because she was crying on it, rocking quietly back and forth to herself. The night before she had been sleeping next to Etsu. It wasn't so bad, actually. The little girl's breathing steadied her to sleep and her tiny warm body was like a pet, but better.

Sally clutched the notebook the lady had given her in her right hand and her eyes in the other. Why had they stopped talking to her? They were passing notes and she knew they were about her.

"Don't cry," someone said from behind her. She turned around, her long brown curls bouncing with her, and she saw the lady who had given her the book. The woman slowly approached her and sat on the swing next to her. "What's so wrong?"

"All of my friends stopped talking to me," she sniffled, wiping her nose. The woman pulled a tissue out of her black jeans and handed it to her. "Thank you, miss."

"Call me Frances," she said. "Anyway, you shouldn't be sad about it as long as you have one friend. Do they really matter anyway?"

Sally shrugged. "Maybe. They're passing notes about me."

Frances smiled. "Maybe you could tell the teacher about it. I'm sure she'll help with it." Sally thought about that.

"That's a good idea," she said, pocketing the tissue in her own jeans. "Thank you for the book, Miss Frances."

The redheaded woman smiled serenely and gripped the swing set's ropes. "I'm curious, Sally. Do you ever see things?"

Sally beamed and opened her book for Frances. "I've been drawing them like you told me to."

Frances eagerly took the book. Sally waited patiently, keeping an eye on the woman's face. It looked scared and a little sad. "Do you like them?"

The woman handed back the book and nodded. "They're very nice, Sally. Keep drawing them. Do you feel any better now?"

Sally nodded, a giant grin on her face. The teacher called her back in. "Thank you, Miss Frances!" She ran off and back into the classroom, a newfound hope in her heart.

XX

Frances walked off of the school property. Of course she had cloaked herself so no one could see her but Sally. And she hadn't expected anything to be in that notebook.

But… something important was in that notebook. As Frances had instructed, she wrote the dates in the corners. And there was a picture of the girl's father and his girlfriend in bed together along with Sally sleeping next to the woman's daughter. That was to be expected. Frances had gotten that vibe and she had next to no intuition.

The thing that disturbed her was a picture of a man with dark hair and glasses with a face as a question mark standing at the doorway and a redheaded woman crying and pointing a wand at him. Then there was a thought bubble of a head with a question mark and black hair above him.

After that, at the end of the book, there was a picture of Sally drawing furiously in front of a sort of battle with Frances and a brown haired girl with a question mark face.

And Frances was losing.

She shook off her fear and kept walking. Phoebe was expecting her.

Weaving throughout the thick forest behind the school, she finally made it to the busy intersection and walked to the restaurant.

It was a tiny little greasy spoon. Neither of them ate there; they simply met and exchanged information. The brown haired girl was already sitting at the table, an indignant expression on her face. Frances slipped in and joined her.

"Hello, Frances," Phoebe said. "Did you finally get what I asked you done?"

She nodded, glancing at the table. A waiter delivered waters. "Thank you."

"This needs more ice," Phoebe whined. The waiter took the water away.

"You do know that they spit in your water when you send it back thirty times," Frances said. Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"If they do, they die," she replied. "So did you do it?"

Frances heaved a sigh. "Yes, I did it," she answered. "I didn't want to, but I did. And it had better be worth it."

Phoebe fixed her with a dark smile. "Of course it was worth it if you really like Kimberly." Frances took a drink of water and kept Phoebe's glance. "And I'm sure you really like Kimberly, just like I really like Sam."

"Of course you do," she replied, exhaling and turning away. "Now what do you want me to do?" A thought entered her mind about the little girl with the notebook of predictions. She'd had her hunches because of the slightly magical energy coming off of her but now she was almost sure. She had predicted _Connor_.

The first thing she was going to do was look at that book after she left this place.

But Phoebe could not know about her. If the girl was to live, she could not know. However, the prediction drawn showed that Phoebe wouldn't know about her, even at the end.

She swallowed. That picture suggested that she died. That was a scary thought.

Witches, Frances knew, stopped aging once they were realized. There were two types of witches: changed and realized. Those who changed aged normally. But those who realized never continued.

Frances sighed and turned back to Phoebe. Realized witches were rare. But both her and Phoebe were realized and were going to live forever until one killed the other one.

"Then I have another job for you," Phoebe said, resting her chin on her fist. "I need a distraction next Thursday. Gabriel Green's throwing a party and I want to cause Samantha some trouble with her ex. Are you game?"

"Do I have a choice?" she asked darkly. The waiter set down Phoebe's drink and she took a sip.

"You have a choice to help me or die," she suggested, setting the water back down.

XX

The last thing Kimberly needed on her plate was another job. But there she was, staying for extra time on a Tuesday when she could be at home doing more of nothing.

She'd much prefer the nothing.

"I want this kitchen to sparkle!" the gruff drill sergeant yelled at the Elite Forces as they scrubbed and organized and cut vegetables. "This lot is where the worthless scum collects to make it easier for the people who actually help our country to work!"

Kim grimaced and continued peeling the potatoes. They hadn't given her a potato peeler. They had handed her a wicked looking knife and a sack of around one hundred potatoes and said to "get peeling". Then the sergeant had laughed in her face and made fun of her makeup.

She clenched her teeth together as she sliced her thumb open again. "Shit," she said, reaching for a rag to stem the bleeding.

"Not so fast, Kimberly Cordial," the man said, grabbing her wrist. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Trying to not get blood on the food," she replied, fixing him with a glare.

"What was that?" he questioned, tightening his grip on her wrist. "Do repeat yourself."

_Oh, no_, she thought, a feeling of dread washing over her. "I'm sorry, sir," she replied in the same dark tone. Her fear leaked into it, though. "I was trying to fetch a rag in order to stop the bleeding from the knife, sir."

"Stand up, Kimberly!" he shouted. She obeyed silently. There was a newfound hatred for her job. It was good enough and it paid the bills, but moments like these were when she despised it. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the epitome of why our nation is failing these days."

He looked around. No one caught his eye, instead looking solemnly at his or her task at hand. "Someone answer me as to why."

No one answered. He pointed to someone at random – a skinny boy who looked barely out of high school – and shouted, "You, Murphy! Tell me why our nation is failing today."

"B-because sir," he stuttered, "th-the youth of Simerica are becoming lazier and more ent-titled."

"Exactly!" he yelled, turning his attention back to Kim. She glared at the floor. "Tell me what you are, Kim."

She glowered up at him. "And why, _sir_, should I have to answer to you?"

"Because you want a job, Kimberly Cordial!" he answered stiffly. "You know how it goes. Troops, tell Kimberly here what she is."

They looked up at her reluctantly. "Kimberly is lazy, useless, and disloyal to her country, sir," they replied in unison. Kim's face burned. This was the kind of thing her mother and father used to do. She had thought she was done once they had died.

"That she is," the sergeant said, throwing her still bleeding hand down. "Go home, Kimberly. And don't come back until you've learned respect for your elders!"

"Fuck off," she muttered under her breath as she walked out of the room and toward the parking lot of the building. Behind her she heard him screaming at her to come back and say that to his face but she didn't.

_I am done, _she thought to herself, plainly accepting the fact. She wasn't sad. She was pissed. No, she was more than pissed. Kim was murderous and the next jackass that got in her face –

"Calm down."

"Holy hell, what in Creator's blazing name do you get off scaring people like that?" she barked, turning to the figure who had demanded her to calm down.

Well… that was intriguing.

She blushed and exhaled. "What are you doing out here?" she questioned gruffly.

He stepped out of the alley and crossed his arms. He had light eyes and blonde hair. How he was standing threatened her, but it interested her as well. He carefully eyed her, giving her a condescending smirk.

"I thought they had the grunts working," he mused, giving her a scathing glare down her body. "And I thought grunts wore military uniforms."

"Buzz off," she said, surprising herself by not cussing. "What do you want?"

"I have a feeling about you," he said. "You're someone worth watching."

"And you're a creep," she muttered. "What's your name?"

"Acacius," he said. She frowned. "What now?"

"That's an odd name," she commented. "I really should go." He caught her hand. "Don't touch me."

"You're bleeding," he said. "Badly. And you cut your hands multiple times before this one. Is that why you're leaving?"

"Wow, you're a genius," she said sarcastically. He chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Get your hand off of me. I don't know you."

"And why do you doubt that I know you?" His demeanor was dark and threatening… yet wickedly intriguing.

She gave him a look. "I've really got to get home." His grip didn't falter. "Let go of me."

"I can't let a wounded girl out after dark," he said. She cringed at his tone, hoping he couldn't see her. "Come on. It's not like I'll hurt you."

"I doubt that," she said as the man let her go.

"You don't trust me."

"Men in alleys aren't the most trustworthy figures," she said sardonically. "I'll take care of this myself, uh, Acacius." The man nodded.

"I understand, Kim. I'll see you on Thursday." He walked into the alley and seemed to disappear.

She proceeded to her car and unlocked it, careful to hold her thumb away from the wheel. She didn't want to get blood on her upholstery.

Then something snapped in her head.

"I never told him my name," she said out loud, confused.

XX

"What did my father tell you?" Tara asked, hanging her feet off of her balcony with her phone to her ear.

He hesitated. "A lot of things."

"Come on, Justin!" she whined. "I don't care what he says!"

The phone was taken out of her hands. "I do," her father said into the receiver before closing it. "I told you to not use your cell phone when you got home. We still need to chat." He put her phone in the pocket of his shirt.

"Dad, what did you tell him? He's acting like I'm going to kill him."

"Tara, calm down," he said evenly. "There is, of course, another reason behind not letting you see him."

"And what would that be?" she asked sulkily, swinging her feet over to him.

"His family is precocious," he explained.

"He's not his family," she shot back.

"You have other responsibilities."

"Dad, this is where we don't see eye to eye," she said. "Taking over your business is not the only thing I was put on this earth for!"

"I adopted you solely for that reason," he said darkly, fixing her with a scolding look. "So I suggest you shape up and start listening if you'd like to retain your position and room in this house." With that, he left with his phone.

Tara dropped off of her balcony ledge and walked into her room. What was his _deal_? What was the problem with having a boyfriend and a normal life?

She sighed heavily and fell down onto her bed. Without her phone, it would be difficult to keep herself occupied.

XX

Connor walked around aimlessly, down and up the stairs, mulling over how he was thinking. He hadn't worked and when Geoff came home he appeared concerned.

"What are you doing, bro?" Geoff asked. Connor shook his head.

"When can I see her?" he muttered. Geoff flicked him between his eyebrows. "Ow."

"Get a hold of yourself," he said. "If you're really this magically wrapped up in Samantha, you need to act like a decent man. Snap out of your stupor." He laughed at him as Connor tried to figure that out. "Have a seat. Eat something. I want to take care of you, dude."

"Yeah," he said. "Act normal."

"Hell, because Samantha's that normal," he said under his breath as they walked to the kitchen table. Geoff grabbed an energy drink and Connor took water. "I heard from Sam that Gabriel Green's having a party on Thursday. So if we can go there, you'll be able to see her and persuade her of your… undying love or whatever."

Connor nodded absently. "Sounds like a plan, Geoff. You're a good friend."

_Oh, I'm not, _Geoff thought to himself. _I have other persuasions as to why I'm going. _

XX

Ramir was answering calls from phones as fast as he possibly could. Reassuring Belladonna residents was hard. Everyone had their own wants and needs and there was no possible way he could get everyone to have their way without making two contradicting things happen at the same time.

He was comforted knowing that there were eight other people stressing with him.

"Yes, yes ma'am, I will try to make sure that there are… officers in parks to make sure everyone picks up their dog's… do you have any idea how ridiculous that is?" his coworker asked. Ramir looked up at him. "She hung up."

"Good," Ramir exhaled, slamming the phone down. "This is exhausting."

"Last Tuesday night of the month," a woman who was on the board said. Their names were Arnold and Kiel respectively. "It sucks just as much all times."

"So are we done?" a man name Shira asked. Kiel nodded.

"It's ten thirty. There is no way I'm staying more than a half hour past what I'm supposed to." Ramir nodded and got up. His phone rang again and he picked it up.

"Hello, this is Ramir Patel, City Councilman number seven. How may I help you?" he asked, spilling his script as he was told to.

"Ramir, do you know that you're going to become mayor very shortly?" the person asked. It sounded like a woman with a wavering voice.

"Um… that's impossible, ma'am. I would have to skip the next five ranks in my job in order to do that. But your vote will count if I ever get there!" he said lightly.

"I know you're going to become mayor because the mayor here is going to be assassinated tonight," the woman said. Ramir sat down and put his fingers to his temple.

"Is that a threat, ma'am? Because I am required to call the police if that is a threat."

"It isn't a threat. Houston McCarthy is going to die tonight, and no one can do anything about it." The woman hung up. Shira gave him a glance.

The councilmen were usually all townies. None of them were from Belladonna and lived in outlying towns. None of them were of any real interest. But Ramir liked them enough.

"What was that?" Shira asked. Ramir shrugged.

"Some crazy lady saying that Mayor Houston McCarthy is going to die and I will become mayor. Isn't that strange?" he asked. Shira furrowed his eyebrows and nodded. "He's around here, isn't he?"

Kiel nodded. "Yeah, but he has guards…"

_Boom._

XX

_TL;DR: Connor gets a love spell for Sam Cordial, Chastity is approached by Carlos for a business deal, Sam and Gabe hang out, Vivian and Timothy awake after some ~fun times~, Justin ignores Tara, Sally is greeted by Frances who sees her drawing book and stops her from crying, Frances meets with Phoebe and agrees to create a distraction on Thursday, Kim gets chewed out by a sergeant and meets a mysterious Acacius, Tara gets angry at her father, Connor and Geoff decide to go to the party on Thursday, and Ramir, while answering phones for his job, hears a death threat against the mayor. The chapter ends with a boom. _

_Whoo, first story arc almost done! Don't worry, there's two more after this, two interludes, and an epilogue planned. _

XX


	8. Chapter 7: Greeks Don't Have Last Names

_A/N: Yay for chapter update! Anyway, there is a bit of language in here. I think I used the f word. I don't remember. There is also a gay man in this chapter. I hope it does not bother your sensibilities. Also, be warned of the interlude coming up. There is a bad time skip. However, nothing of interest happens in this time, not really. Anything that does will be covered in the interlude. _

_To the fans: I love you! Thank you to new reader Emerald-Shadow-Knight for giving me a new reader. You guys make it worth it! Well, writing it is also fun, but this makes me feel constructive doing it. _

XX

Chapter 7: Greeks Don't Have Last Names

"This is nice."

Vivian actually said that to herself but she didn't care. Having a good guy in her life made her _happy_.

Much happier than she was with Etokas.

Wednesday was a workday. Yesterday she had off and she had spent it all with Timothy and it had been great. They were dating, she supposed. Going steady sounded so juvenile. So they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

He had come over to watch Etsu as she went to work. It almost hurt to leave. But she did because rent had to be more important than a boyfriend.

"…Vivian! Pay attention!" her worker beneath her, Samantha Cordial, said. "I've been calling your name for a minute now!"

"Sorry, I've been distracted," she said. "What would you like, Samantha?"

"Um, this is kind of hard to ask, but would it be okay if my friend got a job here? Ever since the convenience store was broken into, he's been out of work."

Vivian grinned. "Sure! I mean, I'd have to interview him first and stuff, but if he's a good worker and is smart… what's his name?"

"Gabriel Green," she reported, folding her hands in her lap. A patient came in and the head doctor ran up to the woman who was wobbling on her feet. Samantha jogged up to him to assist.

She simply smiled and walked to the other wing of the hospital to check for her own patients.

Stress and worry were miniscule and unimportant to her. She actually looked forward to going home and seeing her daughter. And Sally was fun to watch, too. When Etsu was out of the toddler stage she would be grateful.

As she took care of a patient, she thought of her boyfriend like a giggly schoolgirl would.

XX

Speaking of giggling schoolgirls, there was one schoolgirl who wasn't laughing. Instead, she was suffering through classes as much as she could, her eye on the boy who refused to talk to her.

Every time she made eye contact, he looked away, looking just as awkward as she did. Running her hand through her hair, she sighed and tried to concentrate on Latin declensions.

She sighed and turned to her friend. "Zoe, what's the third declension?"

Her friend leaned over and wrote it down quickly on her paper. "Thanks," she whispered back. Zoe gave her a small smile.

Then she flicked a note onto her desk. _You want to hang out after school? _

Tara caught her eyes and nodded. Scribbling back, she tossed the note back onto her desk. _Only problem is my dad is pissed at me. He took my phone. _

Zoe smirked at that and wrote back: _Well, then he can't find you when you're out with me, can he? _

She laughed lightly and wrote down the details of what they would do after school. Tara looked up for a moment. Sure, Justin would be better, but he wasn't really talking to her at the moment.

"Tara, Zoe. Pay attention," the teacher directed. Tara nodded and pretended to take notes. They caught each other's eyes and laughed about it.

After class, Zoe walked with her to lunch. "So you're down to hang out today?"

"Not really, but that's what makes it fun, isn't it?" Tara replied. Zoe smirked and tucked her curly red hair behind her ear.

"Look at the ginger crew," someone commented. Zoe turned around and stuck her middle finger up at the perpetrator.

"You know, I need a soul and I'm not against stealing yours!" she shouted back. Tara laughed. "I have work, but you can come hang out. It'll be fun."

She mulled over it. "Okay. Sounds like fun."

XX

Sally and Sofia had art class together and Sofia made a brilliant discovery. Her new friend was incredibly good at art.

Sunny joined them with her sad art project, a watercolor of a cat. However, the colors blended together in a mess of brown. She sighed and took a stool next to Sally.

"This is depressing," she whined. Sally carefully manicured a bush on her picture of a large house. "My cat is so bad!"

"It's not that bad," Sofia assured, even though it _was _pretty terrible. She was working on painting a picture of Carlos.

She adored Carlos. He was the best great uncle ever, in her opinion.

The art teacher wandered over and looked at the girls' artwork. "Sally, this is fantastic! Keep working on it. Sofia, is that Carlos Contender?" Sofia nodded happily. "It's very nice. And Sunny… well, it's a cat."

Sunny put her hands on her forehead. "It's terrible!" she lamented, blotting pink onto the spot where the nose would go. "I'm just not an artist."

Sofia watched as Sally worked on her picture. The sketch wasn't showing through and the colors blended very well.

"Wow, Sally, you're really good," Sofia said. Sunny looked up and nodded. She blushed and smiled.

"Thanks, Sofia."

Claire Tellerman, a pretty blonde girl, walked up to their table. "What are you guys painting?" she asked, placing her blank paper onto the empty space.

"Cat," Sunny said sadly.

"Uncle Carlos," Sofia replied proudly.

"A house," Sally said absently, carefully dotting in some red berries on the bush.

"Well, that's nice," Claire said, taking a seat. "I think I'll draw a dress. I love my dress."

They all exchanged glances. Claire was a nice girl, but her dress was definitely eccentric. A long pink coat accompanied by a long dress with fur was not the most _usual _of outfits.

She frowned. "Don't give me that look, S crew. I'll draw a normal dress."

"S crew?" Sally questioned, still enthralled in her work.

"Yeah, you all have five letter S names. It's kind of weird. Anyway, I figured I would come over and mess it up, being a C name with six letters." All of them nodded. "Holy… Sally, did you draw that?"

She nodded, still sketching in an extra window. "Yeah. I saw this house on the way to school. I think when daddy and Vivian get married, we can move in there."

"What?" Sofia asked, looking up from her picture of Carlos. "Vivian… you mean the neighbor girl?"

"Yeah. She slept over on Sunday and I had to sleep with Etsu." She made a face. "She's okay… for a toddler." The girls giggled at that. "Worst, Etsu talks in her sleep. I didn't get to go to bed until like three in the morning."

"That's terrible," Sunny said sympathetically, taking a black crayon to the outline of her cat. "That's it, I'm done. I'm terrible at art!"

Claire snatched the paper and examined it. "With a little touching up, it wouldn't be so bad." She took the crayon and began shading the outline. Sunny returned to her seat, a sulking expression on her face.

Sally glanced around and reached into her backpack for her notebook. There had been colored pencils that she found in her desk she'd used, but what she really wanted to try was chalk. As she flipped through it, Sofia moved over to take a look.

"Whoa, Sally, you really _are _a good artist!" she exclaimed. Sally smiled and moved it over to show you.

"Sometimes I see things," she told the table, "and these things come true. If I draw them, I can prove them." She flipped to a page with a black haired woman and a brown haired man kissing in a bedroom. "This is Vivian and my daddy."

"Can you predict my future?" Sofia asked gently, putting her hand on Sally's wrist. A group of girls came by, teasing Sally about being "trailer trash" and a loser. She shrugged it off.

"If anything comes to me, I can," she said, proceeding to the counter where all of the art supplies were. She glanced around and snatched a pack of chalk. "Hm… I don't see anything about you."

Then something flashed to her. She took out the chalk and quickly started drawing childlike figures. One had a face and one did not. They were sitting on a jungle gym together, talking or something.

One was definitely Etsu, although she was a little older. It definitely looked like winter. The boy was her age, too, and he had a cute business-like suit on. But he didn't have a face. Not yet.

"Whoa," Sunny said, gathering around her to see her drawing the wintery scene. She blotted in snow with her finger and added some icicles to the playground. It looked much too cold to be hanging out there. "So you're saying that this will happen?"

"I think so," Sally said, starting to shade in the sky.

"That's really cool!" Claire said, glancing over from where she drew. "Uh oh…"

"Sally! Sunny! Sofia! Get to work!" the teacher scolded. Sally closed her book and stashed it in her backpack again. "And don't have other people do your work, Sunny!"

Claire smirked and continued lining Sunny's cat with black crayon.

Sofia tapped Sally. "After school, we need to hang out some more," she promised, going back to her picture.

XX

Justin got home after school right away. After what Tara's father had told him, he had taken the coward's way out – that is, refusing to talk or look at her. Which sucked because he was absolutely in love with her. Well, as in love as a teenager can really be.

He got to the door of his apartment and heard shouting. Before entering, he waited outside of the door to judge if it was safe to go in. His parents usually got along fine but sometimes they had skirmishes and when they did, it was awkward as heck to walk into.

"…and how come you took him home?" his mother asked. "What, has this been going on for a long time and I luckily got home in time to see you doing… that?"

"God, Marissa, that's not how it is," his father said. Justin heard his father pull out a chair and sit down. "This isn't just something – I love you, Marissa!"

"Jason, you've obviously been hiding something _very important _from me for our entire marriage. We have a kid! How is he going to react to this?" she yelled, stomping away. Justin had enough of listening to this. He opened the door.

"Hey, mom and dad. I'm home," he said quietly. His mother turned and started washing her hands in the sink. His father was sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. "Um… what were you shouting about?"

His father's head flew up and his mother slammed the water off. "Whoa, if it's such a big deal forget I asked."

She turned around. "I suppose he has a right to know what's going on," she said, glaring at his father.

"Well, uh… I… "

"I caught him with someone else," she said. Justin faltered.

He tried to speak, but what was he supposed to say to that?

"That's not all," his mother said darkly. "It was a man."

Justin's eyes widened while he comprehended the weight of the situation. That was a shock to say the least. His father, the one who taught him to throw a football and how to fix a robot? The one who taught him how to drive?

Justin coughed. "Well… I'm going to my room," he said finally, walking off to his room. Neither of his parents said a thing.

He went to his desk and took a seat. What _was _this new development? It was so random, so out of the blue…

Glancing around his room, he saw a note on his bed. He walked over to pick it up.

_Surprise! Don't talk to her again. _

_-Armand_

"Holy shit," he said, flicking it into the trash and jumping down onto his bed. "This is really screwed up."

But aside from the implications, he knew he _had _to talk to her again.

XX

General Buzz Grunt stepped off of the bus, his three sons following closely behind him. They weren't moving but they were watching. Belladonna Cove was the center of the criminal behavior and he was on a mission to stop it.

"Dad, can't Ripp get some of this sh – junk?" Tank asked, balancing a giant duffle bag on his back. "Why are we even in this stupid city? I miss Strangetown already. I miss punching that little Johnny kid."

Ripp got out and rolled his eyes, his much too long hair hanging in his face. "I kind of like it here. I wonder if there will be any cool kids to hang out with."

"You will not be 'hanging out' with anyone around here! You three will be staying at home under Tank's discretion until we get the clearance to go home! Is that understood?" Buzz shouted. He found that getting through to his children was difficult unless he yelled and that only worked part of the time.

"And how long will that take?" Ripp muttered. His father turned on his heel to face the boy. "Sorry, sir."

"You had better damn well be sorry! I will not tolerate any relationships being made here. This is a business trip only! And since I am not able to _trust any of you _to stay home alone, you must come with me." Young Buck finally stumbled off of the bus, his teddy bear and suitcase in hand.

"Are you talking about when Ripp threw that party? Because nothin' bad really happened," Buck said sweetly. Buzz ignored him.

Ripp chuckled. "That was an epic party until Tank decided it would be a good idea to _tattle_."

"That does it," Tank muttered, throwing his duffle bag onto the sidewalk. "Prepare to have your nose bashed in, hippie freak!" Ripp cringed as Tank prepared to punch him by reeling back his fist.

Buzz caught it. "There is to be no fighting with each other! Is that clear, Tank?" he yelled.

"Sir, yes sir," he grumbled, picking up his bag.

Buzz nodded and smiled. "Good. Now all rise and walk single file into the apartment! Hut, two, three four…"

Buck whimpered. "I miss Jill," he said to Ripp.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ripp replied. "I miss my friends."

Tank snickered. "Like you have friends, Ripp," he muttered to him. Ripp managed to land a foot into his calf.

XX

"Now, Isabel," the trainer said calmingly, "this is a test. We've already apprehended this girl and there is no way she can get out of here. If you accomplish this, you get the job."

Isabel Baldwin nodded, the adrenaline in her chest. It was exciting to finally get the chance to find a job and fulfill what she had always wanted to do.

"Go."

Isabel calmly pocketed the handcuffs and the fake gun in her pockets. She loped into the room and glanced around. It was a white expanse of a football field. New recruits for both military and police careers were trained in here, generally shipped in from surrounding towns if it was a big promotion. Today it was all hers.

The girl was standing in the center. She had red hair and light skin. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to stand down." The woman turned around and extended her wrists. "Well, okay…"

She walked up to her with her handcuffs out. Once she got close, though, the girl ran right past her towards the door. It was open! Isabel panicked and ran after her.

Isabel was faster than the girl and she managed to catch her wrist and make her fall. Cuffing her and waving at the window, Isabel lifted her up and led her to the door.

"Did I do it right?" she questioned. The instructor came out and nodded. "Yes!"

"You're very passionate about this. Most people wouldn't run that fast even if this was a real situation." The girl spit on the ground. "Oh, Amber, that's not a good thing to do."

The girl simply laughed. "The dog will be found out!"

Isabel raised an eyebrow. The trainer shrugged. "She was part of the attacks on those businesses. Just like the boy we got from Pleasantview, though, she doesn't know much about it except for her directions."

"Hm," Isabel said as someone came and carted Amber off to somewhere else.

XX

Carlos and Geoff were in an Internet café. Sure, it was archaic, but with Connor's computer skills, he was able to make their laptops untraceable.

"Have you gotten a response from your ex-girlfriend yet, Carlos?" Geoff asked, enthralled in his computer. Carlos nodded.

"Just checked my email. She says she's 'interested'. I wonder if that means we're getting back together," he mused. Geoff shrugged.

"If she can find what we're looking for, then good. If she can't, it's always good to have an extra worker to mess around with." They chuckled together as Geoff pulled up a page of Armand DeBateau's business. "Hm. DeBateau Industries' stock just went down."

"I wonder why," Carlos said, massaging his chin in thought. "Hopefully we won't hear from him."

"That reminds me, are you coming to that Green boy's party tomorrow?" Geoff asked. "I have to. Connor has become smitten with Samantha."

"Not a bad choice," Carlos mused. "And probably since I'll need to talk to Chastity. That little spitfire."

"You are a disgusting old man," Geoff said, grinning at him. "Okay, so let's see any unexpected business in this town… Grunt household? Is that of interest to us?"

Carlos' head shot up. "Yes, why are they here? Read off their names."

Geoff chuckled and scrolled through the list. The daily newspaper had an indispensable feature: it listed people who came, went, got married, died, got divorced, and anything else of interest. He used it almost as much as they released it. The feature was fantastic for his line of work.

"General Buzz Grunt and his three sons, Tank, Ripp, and Buck are temporarily renting an apartment from Tech Flats. Huh," he said. "Big family." Carlos pursed his lips and tapped something out on his computer. "Where's the mother?"

"Dead," he said flatly. "They divorced and then she was found murdered in the Specter household."

"Well," Geoff said. "Is he a problem?"

"Most definitely," Carlos said, furrowing his brows. "And he provides us with a checkmate when getting to what we want. If he dies, we will be found out." Geoff looked up at the wise old man. "And he has one of the best noses in the business. If he smells bullshit, by god, he'll get the source of it."

"Lie low, then," Geoff suggested.

"I believe I have what you're looking for," someone said. Both Geoff and Carlos looked up at the man. He had light eyes and blonde hair. Pulling out a chair, the man set his laptop down and opened it, pretending to type on it.

"And who the hell are you?" Geoff asked. Carlos put a comforting hand down, his eyes sparkling like he cared. Carlos had a fantastic front he could put on.

"Cut the bullshit, Carlos Contender, aged sixty four, six foot three, red hair before graying, brown eyes, retired, and a lovely niece whose family you visit frequently. Am I correct?" the man asked.

"How do you – "

"Geoff Rutherford, aged twenty six, five foot nine, red hair, gray eyes, unemployed technically, and the brother of Marissa Rutherford. She has a wonderful family as well. Would you like me to go on?" he questioned.

"Who are you?" Geoff questioned. The man sat back and smirked.

"Acacius," he said simply.

"Last name?" Carlos goaded.

Acacius smirked. "Greeks didn't have last names. Now let me offer you my services and we'll see if we can't make a deal."

XX

Phoebe was in her building, writing up plans at her desk. She was making sure that nothing could go wrong. No one would notice if her and Frances slipped in as long as she hid her horrendous green skin.

She needed a distraction and she needed to find the lead of the group of people who were tagging and destroying things. If she could simply cast an amplifying spell on whoever was starting it all…

There was simply no easy way to find out what she needed.

"Ugh!" Phoebe yelled, throwing her notebook across the room. She picked up her wand and carved some obscenities into the wall. "I hate parties."

"You do?" She whipped her head around to see Frances standing in the doorway, her face looking bemused.

"Get out. I'd rather not see witch-green until I have to," she sneered, casting a spell to bring the scattered papers back to her. Frances entered the room against her discretion.

She walked up to Phoebe and put a hand on her back. "You were always a hard worker, Phoebe." She rolled her eyes. "It's so unfortunate you took a different name after you were married."

Phoebe furrowed her eyebrows and frowned. "Must we get into this? I have work to do."

"You were always the harsher sister," she whispered, taking her hand and placing it over the papers. "Yet you were also the prettier one, so the boys fell for you harder."

"Shut the hell up, Frances," she said, idly making sparks flit out of her wand. "Give me my papers back."

"Isn't it a mystery as to how your husband's house burned down? I mean, it's odd that you wouldn't have been there to tell him to get out or to save him or something."

"Shut up," Phoebe groaned, putting her fingers above her eyebrows. "I don't have time for this."

"All I'm wondering is whether or not it was an accident… or homicide?" Phoebe snapped her head up at her. "I mean… the fire originated on his bed. How did that happen? And how did he stay asleep?"

Phoebe stood up and grabbed Frances by the arm. "I will break your arm, Frances." Frances gave her a chilled smile.

"I can repair it myself if you do. We're evenly matched now, Phoebe. You cannot hurt me."

Phoebe screamed in anger and frustration, throwing her arm down. "What do you _want_?"

"I want you to not extort the information from the criminal group. Get it the old fashioned way. You've already messed with the twenty-somethings enough with the Connor thing. That's all." Phoebe scrunched her nose. That was not something she _wanted _to do, not at all. The strife and information excited her.

And when she wasn't the cause of it, she had to at least be in on it. And to have no information on it at all?

Infuriating.

She clenched her hands by her side and sat down. "Why?"

"Because we would be interfering too much and we would have to move again. And I like this town," she said matter-of-factly. "If you don't, I will mess with more people for you. But _please _leave this party alone."

Phoebe sighed. "Fine. But I have another mission for you, then." Frances closed her eyes and nodded.

"Shoot."

"Find out Kimberly's love interest and destroy it."

"What? Wait, she doesn't have one – "

"GET OUT!" Phoebe screamed, taking her wand and pointing it at Frances.

XX

Sofia played with her brother at their play table. Their father worked at the kitchen table, screwing in something on a robot.

"Marcus, what color is this block?" she asked, waving it in his face. The boy gave her a look.

"I know what color that block is, Sofia," he said, sounding bored. "I'm almost starting school. This November."

"That's right! And you'll need to know colors when you go to school," she said gleefully. He sighed.

"I'm almost old enough!" he sighed. "Can we play a different game?"

"We could play scrabble, but I'm way better than you," she said, poking him in the stomach. He started to giggle. "Oh, do you want to play tickle fight?"

He smiled and nodded. "Tickle fight!" she exclaimed, wrestling her little brother to the ground.

Isabel walked in tailed by Carlos. The two perked up and screamed, "Uncle Carlos!" before running up and hugging him.

He laughed and picked up Marcus, continuing to tickle him. "How are you, sport? Getting big, aren't you?" He nodded happily and laughed gleefully.

"Carlos, I painted you a picture!" Sofia said, running to her schoolbag and revealing the picture.

"That's fantastic, sweetie!" he said, putting Marcus down. "I picked up Isabel from training. She says it went really well." Benjamin looked up, putting down his robot.

"Did it, honey?" he asked, walking over to his wife and putting an arm around her waist. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"The trainer told me I probably had it in the bag. He's going to call me tonight." Benjamin hugged her.

"That's fantastic!"

"That's my niece," Carlos said, balancing Marcus on his shoulders. "Do we have dinner or should I just order pizza?"

"Pizza!" both Marcus and Sofia said in unison. Isabel shrugged.

"Why not celebrate? I mean, if I get the job. Should we wait for the phone call?" she asked. Benjamin kissed her on the lips and pointed to the couches.

Carlos carried his great niece and nephew to the living room and pulled out a game of Chinese checkers. Benjamin turned on the television and cuddled his wife, periodically kissing her on the cheek.

About thirty minutes later, the phone rang. Everyone froze for a few seconds. Then everyone leapt up for the phone.

Isabel reached it first. "She was always the fighter," Carlos mused to Benjamin. He nodded appreciatively.

"Hello? Yes, this is she," Isabel said into the receiver, holding the phone possessively. "Yeah? Okay, that sounds great. Oh? Well, okay. I can live with that. Thank you so much, sir. Goodbye." She set down the phone, staring at it.

"Oh, honey," Benjamin said, coming up to her to comfort her. She turned to him and shot him a gleeful grin.

"I got the job," she said, the smile on her face giant. "I start on Monday."

The living room erupted into cheers.

XX

Kim and Chastity were at the store picking up groceries for the party happening the next day. Kim lounged on the cart as Chastity scoured through rows of chips, looking for the fullest ones.

"Come on, Chastity, just pick one," Kim groaned, resting her head on her arms. Chastity put a manicured index finger up, telling her to wait.

"I have to get five of these and I need them to be perfect. I want to impress any eligible bachelors in this town!" she joked.

Kim rolled her eyes. "When you get tied down, something frosty has happened in Hell," she joked.

Chastity nodded. "There aren't many guys here. Townies could do, but they're just so boring…" Her eyes lit up. "You have any interests?"

Kim's mind flickered to Acacius or whoever he was, but she dismissed it. "None. They're all boring or not my type."

"And what exactly is your type?" she asked, throwing five chip bags into the cart.

Again, her mind thought of blonde hair and light, indescribable eyes, but she dismissed it again. He was absolutely threatening. They had met _once_. And he had basically belittled her.

"Rebellious," she said, fluffing her way through it. Chastity snorted.

"So, me?"

"No. Attractive as well. Good at language." Chastity rolled her eyes.

"Be as vague as possible? That wasn't the directions. I'm talking about physical look. Hell, any guy with any education could be considered good at languages. Let me help you, Kim!" she whined, pouting her lips.

"Um… taller than me? Not fat?"

"You're impossible. Those are standards for _anyone_. What hair do you like?" she asked. "For example, I have this devilish love for dark haired Italian looking men."

"Carlos was a ginger."

"He's not my type, see. It was a romance based on intellects."

"Fine. I like blondes," she finally admitted. It wasn't a surprise. A high school boyfriend she'd had was a blonde and it wouldn't be a surprise to her sister. Chastity hadn't gone to high school with her, though.

"Hot," she said. "Do you like muscles or what?"

"Yes," Kim said without thinking. "I mean… kind of."

"Man, you're into douches," Chastity said. "I never thought you'd be that type. I took you for rebel-nerd pairing."

"Well, you were wrong," Kim said, blushing. Chastity picked out cans of dip and shook them to make sure they sounded okay. "What else do we need for this party?"

Chastity giggled and placed some glasses into the cart.

"You're so cute, Kim. It isn't a crime to have a type. Most people do." Kim nodded and rearranged the bags in the cart. "And yours is obviously type A douchebag."

"Shut up!" Kim said, socking her in the arm.

"And to answer your question: some snacks and _lots _of alcohol. Our goal is to get everyone so drunk they can't go into work on Friday." Kim nodded. She drank some, but not as much as most people did.

"You know about the alcoholic beverages, so you can pick that stuff out," Kim said. Chastity gave her an incredulous look.

"Of course I'm picking them out. You're hopeless with alcohol."

Kim pushed their cart over toward the alcohol section of the store. Immediately, Chastity started running her fingers over the bases of the bottles. She was in her element.

"There are two things Chastity Gere likes in life," Chastity said. "One is slacking. The other? Getting wasted."

Kim stifled a giggle. "I can definitely see that in you, Chaste." She felt something at her back. "Drinking is probably your strongest suit."

Turning around to move whatever it was that she was running into, she spun into someone. "Oh, shit, sorry – what the hell are you doing here?" Chastity turned around to see what was wrong.

"I didn't realize you were into parties, Kimberly," the man said. She bit her lip and glared at him. "Is this your friend?"

"Yes, this is Chastity. Chaste, this is Acacius." She felt her face reddening as Chastity smirked at her.

"Nice to meet you, um, _Chastity_. I get the impression that you're not true to your namesake," he said. Chastity laughed.

"You have a sense of humor, Acacius. That's a weird name. Greek, right?" she asked. Kim cringed and stepped out of their way.

"I was raised by very Trojan parents. Anyway, Kim, I was wondering what you're doing here on a Wednesday night." Chastity pursed her lips.

"Um, shopping," she muttered, wringing her hands behind her back. He raised an eyebrow and laughed. "And I'm sorry for running into you." She glanced at anywhere but him.

"In that outfit? How intriguing," he said, giving her another judgmental glare down her body. She blushed some more before trying to walk away. Chastity, however, had different plans. She grabbed her wrist.

Kim took a look at her expression. Chastity looked confused yet very interested in her relationship with this stranger.

"How do you know him, Kim?" Chastity asked, moving her hand to her upper arm.

"You're a stranger, and I intend to keep it that way," Kim said to Acacius.

"Sure you do. Anyway, do I get an invitation to your party, Ms. Gere?" he questioned politely. "It sounds like fun."

An expression of more confusion flitted across her face. "Yeah, sure. It's tomorrow at seven. You have friends? You bring them."

Acacius gave her a cheesy smile. "Thank you." Then he turned his glance to Kim and it changed to somewhat of a darker glare. "See you tomorrow."

Then he walked away.

"I hate you," Kim said, walking from where Chastity was standing. She laughed.

"Why? I now understand why you said blonde was your type. He's incredibly attractive." Kim stopped and closed her eyes, begging her to drop it.

"I had a high school boyfriend who was a blonde. Ask Sam. That's the only reason I mentioned it." Chastity gave her an incredulous look. "I'm serious!"

"Whatever. You have a reason to like him. He's definitely in lust with you. The way he looks at you is like a lion to meat. Except with a tinge of sexiness in it." Kim turned to her, fixing her with the glare that was becoming permanently etched on her face. "And he fits your description. That is… if you weren't basing it off of him in the first place."

"No, I didn't _base it off of him_. Besides, his way of talking is infuriating. All he does is demean people."

"How'd you meet him, anyway?" she asked, picking up a bottle off of the shelf and setting it in the cart. Kim started blushing at that story too.

"Um, when I was at work I got yelled at and told to leave early for cutting myself accidentally. He was in the alley on the way to the car. He asked if he could help the bleeding but I shook him off." She saw Chastity's expression. "What?"

"You 'shook him off'? What, like he was a bother? If a guy like that asked me if he could help my poor bleeding finger, I would be on him like a koala to eucalyptus."

"Strange analogy," Kim said. "And he acted the exact same. He's creepy and pushes boundaries."

Chastity shrugged. "I don't know, he's pretty hot. And he matches your language guideline. Who the hell uses _intriguing_ in normal conversation?"

Kim bit her lip. "You just did." Chastity smacked her and kept going forward.

"Wait, how did he know my last name?"

"And how you were throwing a party? Yeah, he does that too. I don't trust him." Chastity snorted.

"I don't trust half of the guys I sleep with but it still happens."

"Fair point. You do sleep with a lot of people."

Chastity hit her again and they kept shopping.

XX

_TL;DR: Hoooly shiz this is a long chapter. Vivian is happy and Sam begs for her friend to have a job there. Tara makes plans with Zoe, a ginger friend. Sally, Sofia, and Sunny create an art crew together along with Claire. Justin's father is found out to be not of the straight variety, found because of Armand. The Grunts come into town for a short stay. Carlos and Geoff discuss this and Acacius approaches them with information about them. Frances convinces Phoebe to not mess with criminal organizations, nice girl. Carlos comes over and Isabel gets a job. Kim and Chastity go shopping for the party when they run into Acacius. _

_Second to last chapter (hopefully) before interlude! This has been a blast. 11 pages? Hopefully we beat 15 coming up soon. __ Thank you! _

XX


	9. Chapter 8: As Kingfishers Catch Fire

_A/N: Wow, this story hasn't blown up, but it's a blast to write! My five loyal readers: Thank you for sticking with me. _

_This is really long. Like, 15 pages long. Sorry, but it was a self-challenge? I hope you enjoy the finale. And the title means nothing. Just letting you know. _

XX

Chapter 8: As Kingfishers Catch Fire

"I've never felt secure enough in a relationship," Timothy Riley admitted. As their children played, Vivian and Timothy snuggled on the couch, occasionally placing a kiss on one another. "I loved Olivia but I couldn't always trust her."

Sally looked up at him but he ignored her. The girl loved her mother. Timothy loved her mother as well, but… this was different.

"I never actually loved someone," Vivian admitted in turn. "Etokas was a great man but he wasn't my great man."

"Am I your great man?" Timothy asked. Vivian laughed and nodded. "Good. You're my great girl." They kissed each other again.

"Get a room," Sally said. They laughed with each other and kissed some more. Their relationship included lots of excessive touching. It was okay because they were both very touchy people. "Etsu, let's go to my room." The little girl smiled as Sally lifted her up and carried her into the room. "Knowing them, we'll be sharing it soon." Sally had thought the grown ups hadn't heard her. They had, and they approved of the notion.

"Big sister!" Etsu shouted.

"Exactly." The door closed.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Vivian asked. Timothy nodded.

"Sally is a trustworthy girl. She loves Etsu." He brushed her jet-black hair off of her face and kissed her again. She exhaled onto his nose and he smiled onto her chin. They didn't stop.

Timothy was wrapped up in his thoughts, thinking about how lucky he was to find a girl after his wife had died and left him a kid. He loved Sally, but a kid was a definite turn off for most women. But Vivian didn't care, considering she had one of her own. And Etsu was the best toddler someone could ask for. She was quiet and sweet and only a little messy.

They would make a good family.

"Timothy," Vivian said breathlessly, "Etsu is growing up in a few months."

"Yes?" he asked, moving his hands down her side. "What of it?" She blushed. "What is it, Vivian?" he asked.

"Do you – do you think she'd like a father for her birthday?"

His eyes lit up. Now he understood the magnitude of what she was saying. This sparked his attention. A marriage that wasn't based around a battle of constant wit? He might like that. It would definitely be a new experience.

"Sally is starting to get a little older, too. I mean, she'll be thirteen in two years. I almost have a teenager on my hands." Vivian ran her hands through his hair. "Might she like an established house for that birthday?"

Vivian giggled and nodded as they kissed. All they did, it seemed, was talk and kiss. They got along so well and seemed so compatible. In fact, it seemed almost… almost perfect. Unbreakable and strong was what came to mind. If that was the case…

_Could this be the true love they discuss in the books?_ Timothy mulled that over. It was called being a three-bolter, an OTP, or in simpler terms, true love. This attraction was close to Olivia but it wasn't her.

It was better.

"Sally brought home a paper with a house painted on it. I recognize it from the neighborhood on the way to school. Perhaps that would be a good anniversary present?" he questioned. Rubbing his hand on the small of her back, he touched his lips to her neck. Their sensitive spots even matched up – any touch on their neck and they went crazy.

"Are you suggesting we will still be dating on that anniversary?" Vivian asked. Timothy thought for a moment. She was a sensible girl. She would know that knowing each other for such a little amount of time would be reckless to run into. Yet she was incredibly receptive to every single one of their advances. They had already made love to each other, regardless of how stupid it was. Their daughters were on good terms with each other. And the compatibility was impossible to ignore.

Not that Timothy would ignore it, of course.

"Would you be against being married?" he asked blatantly. The pulse in her neck bumped against his lips.

"Not at all. Hypothetically, of course." He chuckled.

"Then let me get you a ring and we can make a show of it in front of the girls." She pulled away from him.

"Wait, you're serious?" He nodded. "Wow… this is a lot to take in."

"If you're against it I will drop the idea for good." She eyed him warily. "But I'd love it if you were on board."

She smirked and kissed him again just as the sun finished setting. "I would love to become your wife, Mr. Timothy Riley."

"Fantastic, Mrs. Vivian Riley." Her expression said that she liked the name.

They laughed against each other and continued their high school-like make out session.

XX

"So tell me again: What was Kim's old boyfriend like?" Chastity asked Sam. The four of them – Chastity, Sam, Kim, and Gabe – were already there. Kim was on the counter next to all of the chips, Chastity was leaning against the refrigerator, and Gabe and Sam were on the bar stools. There were snacks in the kitchen and alcoholics strung out everywhere. Chastity had made sure that they were well stocked. That was an understatement; Chastity had made sure that if there were to be an apocalypse, they would never run out of alcohol. But for a party? It was just enough.

Kim groaned. This run-in with the mystery man had turned into something bigger. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She liked her privacy.

Sam felt her sister's pain. She liked to vanish into the background sometimes too whenever faced with this sort of stuff. Especially romance stuff, which Sam suspected it was turning into.

"Well," Sam said, making a meaningful glance at Kim, "he was pretty tall and ripped. He was on the football team, I believe. Wasn't he?" Kim nodded.

"Not the quarterback, though," she added helpfully. "His name was Jess, I think." Sam knew Kim was lying. Her high school boyfriends were both football players and ripped, but never blonde. She hadn't ever dated blondes for some reason even though tons had shown interest.

"Yeah! I remember. He studied a lot of vocabulary, but that was the only thing he was good at." Kim gave her sister silent appreciative thanks. Sam elbowed Gabe impatiently.

"Hey, Gabe, when do the people arrive?" she asked. He chuckled at her.

"Patience, grasshopper. They'll come soon." Gabe idly put a hand on her back as if he didn't notice.

Kim had noticed how they acted around each other. It was cute, she thought. After work, Sam had made it a point to hang out with him while Kim was stuck cutting potatoes. She'd done it again that day and was probably going to do it the next – if she was okay enough to go to work and even bothered. The boss was impossible to deal with and ever since cutting herself, he'd been worse.

Chastity was staring at Kim, trying to figure out what her deal was with Acacius. He couldn't really be put into words. He was absolutely demeaning yet had a charm to him. It was probably the jerk factor, she figured. Guys like that were bad news for girls like Kim. However, he was only really mean to her – could that mean something? Was it like a middle school relationship with him?

Both Kim and Sam looked good for the event. Kim had a tight black dress on along with black tights and heels. Sam had on a red dress with black tights. Both of them had their hair down and it looked elegant.

They definitely had a specific air to them. A remarkably – dare she say it – cordial air to them. It was refined and smooth and confident, something Chastity wished she gave off.

Chastity wore a tight purple dress – her favorite color – and she had her crazy hair styled into a Mohawk. Gabe had a suspicion that she was planning on getting laid tonight. He was wearing a jacket over a dress shirt and a pair of jeans. The clothing, picked out by Chaste herself, flattered him and made him look even more rebellious than he usually intended. He wasn't, not really. He just thought deeply.

As he watched Sam and Kim talk nervously with Chastity, he admired them. All three of the girls in his life were good people even if some of them were a bit eccentric.

But Sam… she definitely was the prettiest. While watching her, he gathered his hair into a ponytail. The way her eyes lit up when she talked and the way she walked around like she owned the floor… it was, if he dared to think it, incredibly beautiful.

The doorbell rang. Both Gabe and Chastity got up to answer it. "We'll go together," she decided as they walked off in the way only friends could. Kim made sure to be sure that they were only friends. If they weren't, that would mean trouble later for Sam…

After they left, Kim exhaled. "Thanks for saving me there. I wish they would drop it."

"I know what you mean, Kimmy," Sam said, putting a comforting hand on her arm. "Now my interest is piqued, though: who is this Acacius fellow?" Kim shrugged. Sam adjusted the hem of Kim's dress in a motherly fashion. Then she picked up her shoe and licked her finger to get off a scuff. Kim chuckled at her.

"He invited himself here. You can see him for yourself. That is, if you're not too into Gabe's face to detach yourself." Sam blushed. "You guys are cute."

Sam dropped Kim's foot and looked at the floor abashedly. Liking Gabe was an understatement. She was _enthralled _with him.

"I'm not even sure if he feels the same way," she said softly. "I'm not going to make a fool of myself that way." Kim nodded understandingly as Sam hopped onto the counter beside her. "Am I being stupid?"

"Yes and no," Kim replied. "One, you have _nothing_ to worry about if you're worried about him liking you. It's like a bunch of puppies. Yuck." Sam managed a smile. "But you're definitely being smart as to not make a fool. If Armand sees you two together, there could be…"

"Bad things," Sam finished and sighed. The implications in the silence were more than she could sum up. "He's too powerful for his own good."

Kim gave her sister a smile as their friends brought people in.

XX

"Dad, I don't want to go," Tara whined. "It's a party for adults and it's on a school night." Armand heaved a sigh, holding the car keys casually in a hand.

"This is part of an important business deal, Tara. And I can't have you home alone in fear of you fraternizing with your boyfriend." She crossed her arms and glared at him. "What is it?"

"He's _not_ my boyfriend thanks to you."

He shook his head. "You're ridiculous, Tara. Come on. I'm sure there's something you can do. Maybe there will even be unfortunate teenagers there as well."

"I doubt that," she muttered as the two walked out into the night. She was in her favorite black and white dress but she didn't feel lucky. The thought of visiting Justin hadn't even entered her mind. All she wanted to do was take a bath and paint her nails, ending the night with a good novel. Of course, she could do that Friday, too, but she wanted to put off important homework.

She climbed into the passenger seat and sat as sulkily as possible. Since she was a teenager, she excelled at that.

"Cheer up, Tara. At least I gave you your phone back."

"Yeah, with all but you and my friends' numbers blocked! I can only call 911." He raised an eyebrow at her. "I _checked_, father."

"It's for your own safety. I should have removed you from those friends long ago." She grunted and glared out the window.

Even though when she thought of Justin she thought of her father, there wasn't much else to think about. He possessed her mind even though he refused to talk to her. _You need to let him go. _

_That would be giving up,_ she thought back at herself. _And Tara DeBateau does not give up. _Teenagers could be headstrong and rebellious, but Tara took that to heart and refused to give up. Most blamed it on her hair. Tara blamed it on circumstance.

They drove in silence, allowing Tara's acid hatred build up in her stomach. She thought that he could feel it. But he could ignore it.

More than a teenage rivalry and less than an actual hatred, she let her teenage angst build up. Finally, she couldn't do it anymore.

"Why do you hate me, dad?" she asked. Armand sighed.

"I do not hate you, Tara. You are simply making stupid choices that I have to amend. Do you understand?"

"No!" she said, tears building in her eyes. "Why can't I be a normal kid?"

"You are, Tara. You simply have restrictions. Stop crying, darling. It will all be okay. It will get better. He is not your entire life – "

"It isn't even about him!" Tara shouted, sobbing now. "I have to walk on glass around you and at school! I can't be myself!"

Armand sighed. "You will grow out of this. We are done with this conversation." She crossed her arms and wiped her tears away, determined to put on a brave front for the party. She decided that she was going to sit outside and think or something.

He parked the car a few blocks away from the house. The music was already audible. Cops weren't called because of the people going – if Armand, for example, was caught there, most of the cops would be fired because of it.

"Now, honey, I'll text you when we're going to leave. Be safe and be smart." They got out of the car and Tara met him at the front of the vehicle. He kissed her bangs. "I love you."

"Whatever," she said, walking off.

XX

"Hey, Tank, do you see what I see?" Ripp asked. The three boys had already snuck out of the house as their father was working late. Usually they were at each other's throats but when they snuck out they stuck together.

"I do see what you see. This party's for grown ups!" he whined. "God. This was a bad idea."

"I want to go home," Buck whined.

"Shut up, Buck," Tank growled back. Ripp chuckled.

"I was referring to the girl making her way across the concrete. Unless that's a bad idea as well?" Tank turned to him as the three continued walking.

"No, that's an excellent idea, Ripp," Tank said. "You actually thought for once."

"I try," Ripp said dryly. "Let's go befriend the woman creature."

"But I don't want to – "

"Shut up, Buck!" both of them said at the same time.

XX

Kim was still on the counter in the kitchen, drinking out of a bottle of some sort of alcohol. It didn't taste very good, but she didn't mind it. Her head was beginning to feel fuzzy.

She hopped down from the counter, watching the masses of people move icily. Most of the townies had shown up – they had no concept of fashionably late – but the interesting people hadn't shown yet. She completely expected Carlos and Geoff to show.

And where was the blonde one?

She sighed and put the bottle down. Getting trashed this early would not be advantageous. In fact, getting trashed at all would not be good, considering she had work tomorrow.

_Work where I'll get yelled at again,_ she thought, picking the bottle back up and taking another swig.

"I'd put that down if I were you." Kim cringed and turned around. "I'm sure being shitfaced drunk doesn't become you."

"Why are you _bothering _me?" she asked, angrily setting the bottle down. "Once is coincidence. Twice is strange. But three times is borderline stalking."

"Or borderline sociopathic, or borderline obsession," Acacius provided helpfully. "Good thing I'm not any of those things."

"Says the sociopath," she replied, refusing to look into his eyes. He chuckled softly and crossed his arms.

Blowing his blonde hair out of his eyes, he fixed her with a condescending gaze. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Kim." She sighed.

"Go away. I'm staying here – _alone _– for a reason." She jumped up onto the counter and crossed her arms.

"And what reason might that be?" he questioned, uncrossing his arms and walking up to her. Unconsciously, she moved away from him. "Oh, and now you're scared of me?"

"No," she challenged, fixing him with a glare that was becoming custom whenever he was around. "You're just obnoxious and mean."

"I'm not mean. More like demeaning, humiliating, degrading, and disparaging." She gave an appreciative nod despite herself. "I heard you liked big words," he said as if he was explaining it to a child.

She blushed and huffed at him. "I might, but I prefer the user to not be a completely tactless idiot," she answered.

"Touché, Kim. Anyway, would you like to drink with a crowd instead of drinking alone?" he questioned. Kim's eyes flickered up to him, noticing how his posture had changed.

"What are you trying to say, that I'm alone?" she challenged. His carriage changed and he smirked at her.

"I'm saying I'll help you not be alone."

_Innuendo. Not a good thing,_ Kim thought. But he extended a hand and she took it, allowing him to lead her out of the kitchen

XX

"Fashionably late, are we?" Geoff asked gruffly as Carlos finally showed up at his doorstep. "I have Connor." The man stood awkwardly behind him.

Carlos sighed. "Must he come?" Connor's eyes flew to him. They weren't on the most amicable of terms, but he had known that Connor was acting strangely. Samantha Cordial, although a pretty girl, was not as desirable as he described her.

"I'm coming," Connor said confidently. "It's a party for young adults. Really, you should be the one not attending, Carlos." Carlos gritted his teeth. If he had his way the kid would not be Geoff's roommate. But they had some sort of understanding.

Carlos could respect that.

"What's wrong with being fashionably late?" Carlos asked Geoff. Geoff crossed his arms and looked annoyed. "You do realize conducting interviews and spreading information out at a party of this magnitude requires some latency."

"Some, but we're still coming to party as well," Geoff countered. Connor gave him a look.

"I didn't know you could speak well. You always sound like a drunk burnout around me," he said. Geoff sighed.

"I'm not allowed to drink alcohol. The stuff you give me only _tastes_ like it," he replied. Carlos chuckled. "Let's go, Mr. Contender."

The three made their way to Carlos' car, him reiterating their agenda to Geoff on the way. He only did that because Connor seemed so far away – he was in another place entirely.

"Who's in the passenger – oh, you're bringing her?" Geoff asked. Carlos nodded.

"Of course I am. She's been at my house almost nightly for a week." Geoff snickered and took the back seat. Only Carlos drove his car: no one else was allowed.

"Hello, Ms. Peterson," Connor said politely. "You're looking nice this evening."

Jessica was huddled in the passenger seat, her blonde hair down and her bangs covering her eyebrows. "Thank you," she whispered, fixing her gaze on the dashboard so hard that she looked like it would come into contact with her head. She wore a tiny pink dress but had a black jacket over it.

Geoff rubbed his red hair and pulled out his phone. He had no messages. Sighing, he put it away. His sister had called him yesterday and left a frantic voicemail about Jason and then hung up. Now she wasn't answering.

"Jessie, how's traffic?" Carlos asked. She looked at him.

"Not much is out. It _is_ a Thursday night," she said. Carlos fixed her with a killer look and she shrank away. Geoff didn't like how he treated her but he wouldn't correct him. He didn't know the whole story.

XX

Sam and Gabe stood on a corner, glancing at the party's activity. Chastity was yakking it up with her friends and they had no idea where Kim had gone. Sam was still looking around for Kim's boyfriend, and Gabe was trying to help her. He only pointed out girls, though.

"Concentrate, Gabe!" Sam giggled. "Oh… that's not him." Gabe craned his neck to look where she was looking and saw Armand. "I don't want to deal with him tonight…"

"It's okay, Sam," he said softly. "I'll hang around you and pretend to be your boyfriend." Sam almost asked him to not pretend but she held her tongue.

A flash of black and blonde hair passed right by Sam. "Oh," the girl said and turned to Sam. "Hey, Sam."

"Kim!" Sam exclaimed, hugging her sister. "What's up?"

"This is the one curious about me?" the man asked Kim. She blushed and sighed. "I'm Acacius," the blonde said, extending a hand. "Kimberly and I are acquaintances."

Gabe raised an eyebrow. "It's nice to meet you," he offered. Kim took Sam aside.

"He's cute," Sam bubbled. Kim shrugged.

"He's annoying. How are you and Gabe going?" she questioned. Sam looked over at him and shrugged. "Not well?"

She sighed and looked to the side. "I, uh, Armand came in," she said, changing the subject. Kim grimaced. "I wish he would leave me alone."

Kim glanced over at Acacius. Sam was watching Armand. He didn't seem to notice her yet, but he would.

"Are you two together?" Acacius questioned Gabe. He reddened and rubbed his head. "Oh, so you wish you were."

"I, uh, how do you know Kim?" he asked. Kim smirked at the similarities of their conversations. "You're not her normal friend."

"Oh, I know," Acacius replied. "She seems like she'd have very type B friends – all gothic and all boring." Kim gritted her teeth. Gabe frowned and shook his head.

The song changed, giving off a very obnoxious bass line. "She's not gothic, actually. Dark colors compliment her. Sam, her twin, says she hasn't been gothic since high school." Acacius chuckled darkly.

"If only we were friends. Dating twins at the same time is hot." Kim blushed and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Are you finished? Sam would like her boy – I mean, her friend back," she said meaningfully, giving both of them a look. Acacius nodded and backed off. Sam returned to Gabe's side and they continued watching the party.

XX

Frances followed Phoebe lightly, clad in a too-revealing party dress Phoebe had picked out for her. Her hair was styled into a ponytail that looked killer with her low-cut blue shirt.

Phoebe, however, took the cake for looking incredibly sexy. She had her hair black, something she was fickle about – sometimes she was a brunette, sometimes she had black hair – and a red dress.

"Now remember, find out if Kim has a love interest. I'm here to mingle, not cause a catastrophe." Frances nodded. "You still owe me for this. I was looking forward to ruining the night."

"Thank you," Frances said emptily. She liked Kim. Ruining her love life was not something she wanted to do – if she had one. Kim had never mentioned present boyfriends. From what Sam had said, she was a little bit of a slut in high school, but she had grown out of that.

Phoebe snickered as they approached the door. There were way too many people there. "This is great."

The September evening was cool and kept Frances' nerves calm. She hadn't ever liked parties. It may have been an older problem, but it had always been one of her least favorite things to do…

_The dress was stiff and sticky against her neck. It was a hot summer night and she was fifteen years old. The boy she had been seeing at the time escorted her to her stepfather's dismay. _

"_Are you okay, Frances?" he asked. His light blue eyes danced across her face and she smiled. This party could be okay. All they would do would involve sitting outside, hopefully, talking in the moonlight down by the pond. It would be calming and not pressuring. It would be how parties were supposed to be. There would be no reminders of her late father and her cheating mother and her rotten stepfather. _

_Then she caught a glimpse of her sister giving the boy a look. Frances sighed; her sister would always get the guy. She was prettier, smarter, more confident, and funnier. No one saw the evil inside of her. _

"_Yes," she replied. "I just don't like parties." _

XX

"What happened at work today, honey?" Ana Patel asked her husband. She rubbed her stomach absently. "You seem tired."

"I told you about the phone call, right?" he said. "It was true. They're going to press tomorrow. The mayor was assassinated." Her eyes widened.

"That's ridiculous! Isn't he protected or something?" she asked. "Bodyguards or something?"

Ramir nodded. "That's the thing. They were all killed, too. It's ridiculous. His room was left completely the way it was found except for a note on the desk, saying that 'The Dog is One Step Closer'. I'm just confused." Ana took a seat at the table, rubbing her husband's arm. "There's more."

She awaited his explanation with wide eyes.

"They had a vote for people who would be advanced to be mayor. Usually it would be the next in line but no one stepped up. So they held a vote and somehow I won."

Ana didn't reply. Her expression said everything.

"Yeah."

"So does this mean… you're the mayor of Belladonna? Like that woman said?" she asked. Ramir nodded slowly. "That's…"

"Insane? Impossible? Scary? I know. But… hopefully it comes with good enough money. For the baby." Ana smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "I'll be careful, though. For you and the baby.

"I know you will, Ramir."

XX

Chastity called her best friends – so around twenty people – together and they sat on the floor of the living room. A mix between Would you Rather and Truth or Dare was beginning and she kept her eyes level on everyone.

Sam sat next to Gabe on a couch, the two closer than anyone would generally be. Kim was next to Sam, Acacius at her side. She wondered what he was doing, exactly, and Chastity remembered him as well.

The townies were strewn across any furniture or floor space available. "Alright, we'll start."

"Not without us," Carlos interrupted, taking a seat right next to her and putting his hand on her forearm. Geoff followed suit, sitting right next to him and Connor walked over to where Sam was sitting. Armand saw them come in and eyed where Connor was heading.

Sam groaned. Gabe took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Kim patted her leg and moved closer to her. "Hey, Connor," Sam said lightly. He froze and just stared at her. "Okay…"

"Pardon me, Kimberly," Armand said politely. It was clipped in a command, though. Sam gave her sister a small nudge, telling her that she would be okay. "Good evening, Samantha." Chastity shot Kim a look, so Kim got up to sit by her.

They could both be dealers for the day.

"Alright, we'll start to the left of the dealer. Truth or dare, Kim?" she asked. Kim opened her mouth.

"I hate you," she mumbled, taking a drink out of a water bottle Acacius had insisted she drink instead of alcohol. "Dare."

Chastity gave her a wicked glance and Kim was beginning to regret it. "Would you rather take off your tights or…"

_I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, _Kim thought rapidly. "Kiss Acacius."

"Bye, tights," she said to herself, taking off her shoes. Some guys made catcalls but most of the room just laughed. Kim blushed and stuffed the black tights into her jacket pocket. "Next."

"That was just a warm up, Kimmy. Alright, who's next?" She glanced around.

"It goes in a line," Kim insisted, knowing exactly what she was going to do.

"Acacius," she said predictably. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he said immediately. Kim figured he would. Just like her, the truth would be worse than anything she did.

"Would you rather…" she trailed off, looking around, "take off your shirt or kiss Kim?"

"You're dead," Kim growled, sinking her nails into Chastity's arm.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, throwing Kim's hand off. "So, what is it?"

"Shirt, of course," he said. "Like I would want to kiss her."

Kim gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes, refusing to look at him or Chastity. The girls were silent, looking at him.

_So maybe he's something to look at, _she thought angrily to herself. _I don't care. _

He winked at her when she finally turned to look.

"Okay, who's next? How about you, Carlos?" Chastity said.

XX

"Who are you guys, anyway?" Tara asked. The Grunt boys were at a diner. Tank had driven – how else had they gotten to the party? – and they'd taken Tara with them. "I've never seen you around here before."

"We're here on a vacation!" Buck exclaimed, eating his slice of pie faster than a dog ate its food.

Ripp rolled his eyes. "Our dad's here because they think he can catch the criminal ring here. Our hometown's kind of a dud in the crime department."

Tank nodded, eating his burger almost as fast as Buck was. "Yeah, there's a ton of weird people there, like aliens and murderers and scientists."

"Hey! My best friend is an alien, you jackass!" Ripp said. He only had a water to drink. Tara had ordered a coffee. "Anyway, yeah, there are some weird things that happen. My other best friend, her aunt's the murderer."

She widened her eyes. "Is she really? A murderer, I mean?"

"Even if she's not, everyone thinks she is," Buck added helpfully. "And my best friend is an alien, too!"

"She doesn't count as an alien, Buck," Tank said, setting his burger down. "So, uh, Tara, are you single?" Ripp rolled his eyes.

She shook her head. "It's complicated."

Both of the boys' eyes widened in turn, looking at each other.

"Dibs," Ripp said. Tara looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"You dipshit, you can't call dibs on a girl!" Tank said. Tara sighed.

"Stop it, guys. I'll tell you the story of my love if you don't call… dibs on me," she said, laughing to herself. "See, I liked this boy so we kissed, right? And, like, my dad comes in and takes him home. My dad's a giant powerful business man and he said something to him and now he won't talk to me!" She pouted and took a drink of coffee. "It's so unfair!"

"I know what you mean," Ripp said. "My friend's dating my friend. That gets complicated."

"Hold it, Johnny's dating Ophelia?"

"Have you been living under a rock, Tank? You act like it." Ripp looked at Tara. "What's this kid's name?"

"Justin," she said, putting more sugar into her coffee. Tank and Ripp gave each other a meaningful glance. "What are you two thinking?"

"I'm thinking," Ripp said, "that tomorrow's a Friday and we can go out on a hunt for your boy toy."

Tank nodded, adding, "and I'm thinking that we can help you out if that doesn't work."

She perked up. "Are you serious? That'd be great! Wait, why?"

Buck looked up from his pie. "Yeah, why?"

"Oh, we'll be leaving you at home, Buck," Tank muttered. "But we're bored."

"And our father said that I need to bond with Tank," Ripp said sullenly. "So yeah, we can give you a hand."

"Don't disrespect our father," Tank said suddenly. Ripp chuckled. "What?"

"He's a control freak! It took this long to repair our relationship. Trust me, this is disrespecting him enough. Once he finds out we snuck out…"

"You'll still help me though, right?" Tara asked.

"Definitely," the boys said, smiling widely.

XX

Gabe felt strangely about how both Connor and Armand were acting toward Sam, and apparently, Sam felt the same way.

Chastity had skipped over Sam and him because he'd asked. However, she'd been trying to get Armand away from her the entire night but he kept returning.

"So, Sam, how's work going?" he asked. Gabe was rubbing her arm behind her back, keeping his attention on the man.

"Um, okay?" Sam tried, backing against Gabe. "Gabe just joined the workforce with me."

"Wait, I did?" he asked. Sam turned to him and grinned.

"Yeah, I asked Viv today. She said she'd need to interview you but you're probably going to get the job." They smiled at each other. Gabe saw Armand smiling icily at them, and he stopped. Sam turned around and her frightened demeanor reappeared.

"That's fantastic, Gabriel," Armand said, although he didn't seem to mean it. "Hey, Sam, would you like to get some air?"

Sam froze. "I, uh, I'm really okay," she said. Gabe looked to Kim for help. She tapped Chastity on the arm and pointed over to Armand.

"Armand DeBateau! Have you seen your daughter lately?" she asked. Armand turned to her.

"I'm busy, Chastity!" he replied. _Uh oh, _Gabe thought to himself as Sam's hand shook in his. "I think you look like you could use some air."

"Please, Armand. I'm not interested in you," she said lightly. "I have never been interested in you, and you're making me feel uncomfortable."

"Why not?" he asked. Gabe snapped his jaw shut.

"Look, buddy, she said she's not interested," Gabe said. Armand rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, long-haired unemployed freak," he replied acidly. Gabe didn't know what to say to that. He moved to get up.

"Please don't leave," Sam begged quietly. He didn't leave her.

How could he say no to her?

"I was thinking we could go out sometime," Armand said. She shook her head.

"That's a hard no," she replied, swallowing. Her palms were sweating. "I – I'm busy with work and I'm still not interested in you…"

"I don't take no for an answer."

She bit her lip, deciding what to do. Gabe felt her legs move and she ran out of the room. Armand got up to go after her.

"Um, no, pal, you're not following her," Gabe said, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me," Armand replied.

Gabe saw Kim cringe. She knew this wasn't going to be good.

XX

"Ooh, a fight," Acacius said offhandedly to Kim. "And over a girl, too."

"Don't be an asshole," Kim replied, crossing her arms. "I wish I could stop it." Acacius got up and walked over to them, putting himself in between the two. He started talking to them and the two's facial expressions softened. He reasoned with them and took their hands off. Armand eventually turned back to the party, albeit sadly, and Acacius pointed Gabe to the direction she ran.

As he returned, Kim gave him an appreciative nod. He smirked at her and took a seat on the arm of the couch, his back touching her arm. His shirt was still off.

"That was good," she said. "Thank you."

"You basically begged me," he said, turning over his shoulder to tell her. "Move over."

"Why?"

"So I can have a seat, idiot," he explained. She reddened and moved closer to Chastity. "Thanks."

"You say thanks?" she asked, looking around for signs of Sam. "That's unusual."

"I'm a gentleman if I want to be. I'm a complete asshole most of the time." She laughed.

"I figured that." He elbowed her. "Ow! Shit, that hurt!"

He laughed at her reaction. "That didn't even hurt!" She shook her head at him.

"It did too!" They laughed together. When it fell off, Kim tried to get up. He stopped her. "What?"

"Give them time," he said. "She went to the roof, I can guarantee it. If we time it right, we'll catch them kissing."

She raised her eyebrows. "And why would we want to do that?"

"Because we can applaud the amount of time it took for them to get together," he explained patiently. Beside her, Chastity was laughing hysterically at something. "This is why I told you not to get drunk, Kim."

"That's what parties are for, though."

He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Not really. They're for fun and socialization. Drinking does not enforce that. Plus I hate wine, and you were drinking wine."

"Why the hell does that have any bearing on you?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I figured Chastity would make us kiss. I never figured I'd have another option, so I prepared for it." She clenched her jaw.

"What, would that be so bad?"

"You implied that it would be when you took of your tights. Slut." He said the last part jokingly, but Kim still felt the implication. "Okay, so you're not a slut. You still made it very clear you would rather do that than kiss me."

"I don't even know you. Let it go," she said. He shrugged.

"I hold grudges." She rolled her eyes. "I hope to be seeing much more of you after tonight."

"Really? And how does that work out for you?" she asked. He laughed darkly.

"I have my ways."

"Sociopathic, stalking ways?"

"You know me."

XX

"Samantha," Gabe said evenly. Sam was sitting on the edge of the roof. It wasn't dangerous. It was simply a good view. If it were dangerous, Gabe would have done something.

"I'm sorry I ran out like that," she said miserably. "I'll do better next time." He came up to her and put a hand on her back.

"You don't need to apologize. He needed to step off," he said gently. She shook her head.

"It was my fault and I should have handled it better." Her eyes filled up with tears. Wiping them, she hugged her knees to her chest. "I'm so sorry."

"You need to stop apologizing," he said, laughing a little bit and taking a seat next to her. "It's okay now." He rubbed her knee with his thumb, trying to get her to calm down.

"Go away," she whispered, although Gabe doubted whether she meant it or not. "I messed up and you should be mad at me."

"It's okay, Sam," he said, putting a hand on her forearm. "I'm not mad. You're not in trouble or anything." He was confused as to why she would be in trouble but he'd learned not to question irrationality on the behalf of women.

"I wish he would take the hint," she sniffed, leaning into him. "I'm not interested in him. I can't deal with him. He's too pushy."

Gabe nodded, looking at the skyline with her. It was a nice night out. The buildings were gently lit, the stars were visible, and it was slightly cool. Belladonna was a beautiful place at night.

"He is," Gabe agreed gently. "You're okay though. He's the one that's in the wrong."

"It's as if he thinks he should get everything because he's rich." He put an arm around her and hugged her close to him. Sam shivered. Gabe couldn't judge whether it was from the cold or from her nerves.

He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders without thinking. She turned and smiled at him. Instead of being worried about how she was, he started to think about how her weight felt against him and how flowery her hair smelled with his chin on her head and his nose on her forehead…

_Snap out of it, Sam!_ Sam closed her eyes, trying to get the thoughts of his chin on her forehead and how his cologne smelled – it wasn't overbearing but simply pleasant – and how warm he was.

Were all boys warm? It was of Sam's experience that they were. And it was really nice to snuggle with one that was warm. Making it better, he was warm and nice and Sam loved being around him.

"I want you to be happy," he whispered. "I don't want you to be scared any more."

She looked up at him. "Really?"

"I care about you, Samantha," he said. She crinkled her nose at that name. "Do you not like that name?"

"It's just that no one calls me that anymore," she said. "My grandparents and parents did." He wondered why parents named children things they never intended on calling them. At least his parents had actually called him Gabriel like hers.

He hoped they were more similar than that…

"I like it," he said. "Do you like it?"

She thought about it for a moment and nodded. "When you call me it."

He smiled to himself and hugged her closer. "You're special when you call me Samantha. It's… better."

"Are you saying what I'm thinking, Samantha?" he asked. She moved away from him to see his face. He brushed a strand of black hair out of her eyes and let his fingertips linger.

"I might be. I might have wanted to for a while, but I was kind of scared of rejection." He chuckled and brushed by her lips with his index finger.

"You'll never have to be worried about that, Princess." She blushed at that nickname. "Do you mind that name?"

"Not at all. It's kind of cute."

"Like you." She blushed at him.

"I… uh, you're cute too?" she tried. "I mean… pretty. No! Handsome? I'm not good at this, am I?"

"I don't mind it, Princess." Her face got even redder, if that were possible. "So, will you shut your mouth?" he asked. She frowned.

"Why?" It was uncharacteristic of him to ask something like that. He chuckled, leaning closer to her.

"So I can kiss you already," he said. He touched his nose with hers for a moment, asking for final permission. She closed her eyes and he followed suit. "After this there isn't going back."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," she whispered.

If it were completely cliché, there would have been fireworks behind them. But there was no need for fireworks. Their chemistry supplied enough between their mouths.

XX

Kim started the round of applause, followed by Chastity and surprisingly Acacius. She hadn't remembered him following her up there. But it didn't matter and they were genuinely happy for the two.

"Yeah! Gabe!" Chastity cheered. He pulled away from Sam and turned to them. Kim smiled regretfully at him. "Oops, I interrupted." She was _a little _drunk in the way that the ocean was _a little _big. So, a lot. Chastity laughed and smoothed her hair back.

"Yes, Chaste, you did," Kim said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go. Keep going, Sam. The city likes the show." Both of them hopped up and blushed. "No, seriously, we're leaving. Right, Acacius?"

He stood with his arms crossed against the wall. "Whatever you say, Kim." They trailed downstairs. Kim looked back and saw the two of them kissing again.

"Power to you, sis," she muttered, returning to the party.

XX

_TL;DR: Oh my god just read it I'm too tired for this. I'll do it tomorrow for the sake of getting a chapter up. _

_END. Interlude coming up next along with time skip. Love you. 16 pages of party drama finished. I'll redo this soon. _


	10. Interlude: Time Passing

_A new reader! How exciting. A-Chana, your review was fantastic. Thank you. Definitely picked up on the gray area I was trying to lie. A few of your other predictions are pretty spot on, too… Thank you! _

_Format? Like 10 or so mini parts. I tried my hardest to top off my word document (single spaced 12 point font) to 100 pages and SUCCEEDED TAKE THAT LIFE. So, yeah. _

_Warning: fun language (bad words), sexy times (not much), alcohol, making out, suicide attempts, and some obvious things stated but not shared. _

XX

Interlude: Time Passing

Part 1: Melancholy of Security

There was a large cake on the kitchen table and small decorations decorating the table. Marcus was walking around, stumbling into coffee tables and shaking his toys around. Sofia was reading quietly by the table, waiting for the party to start. Since Marcus didn't have any toddler friends, they only invited family.

She had framed her picture of him to give. It would be the present for showing up to the party.

"So-fee-uh!" her brother yelled, throwing a Lego at her. She caught it and set it aside, continuing her murder mystery. "Play with me!"

"Sofia, play with your brother," Benjamin said distractedly. He was nose-deep in his newspaper. Sofia sighed.

"I'm reading," she whined, closing her book. "Alright, Marcus, let's play while waiting for mommy." He threw some blocks around in a sort of rainfall. It was cute but also obnoxious because she would have to pick them up.

She knelt next to him and picked up some of his blocks. "Are we building a house, Marcus?"

He nodded and threw the blocks around. The door opened and Isabel walked in. The children got up and ran to their mother. She had her police uniform on, her badge on her pocket, and her makeup looking sharp.

"Hey, babies. How's it going?" Benjamin got up and walked over to her, giving her a kiss on her cheek. "Hey, baby."

"Where's Carlos? We're almost ready for the party." Isabel's lips morphed into a pout. "What is it?"

"I'm using my lunch hour for this. I'll drive Sofia over to her friend's house, but we need to get going."

Marcus pouted. "No time for cake?" he asked. Isabel lifted him up and gave him a kiss on his nose.

"Sorry, sport, no time for cake." A knock at the door roused Benjamin to go answer it. "Carlos! Just in time."

"I didn't miss anything, did I, sweetheart?" he asked little Marcus. He shook his head and pointed to the cake. "Oh, honey, but I have a present for you." Carlos presented the boy with a neatly wrapped present in blue paper and a gold bow. "Happy birthday!"

Marcus giggled and took it, placing it by the three other presents. Carlos looked around and took a small present out of his pocket. "Sofia," he whispered, handing her the present secretively. "I figured you shouldn't be left out."

She gave him a smile and handed him the picture of him. "I made this for you in art class."

"It's gorgeous, honey!" he said, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Thank you so much." She beamed and returned to the table.

Isabel and Benjamin were arguing, though. "You really can't take enough of a break for your son's birthday?"

"I've told you that I need to get back to work!" she hissed. "I have so many extra hours since half of the force quit!"

Benjamin sighed passively. "Okay. Let's have some cake, then." She frowned at that. "What, you can't have cake now, either?"

"Diet," she explained. "Need to keep strong." He shook his head and walked away. "Ben!" He turned to her.

"I'll talk with you more tonight. I'm not going to ruin my son's birthday."

She sighed and invited Marcus to blow out the candles, feeling miserable. Sofia took a seat by her mother, spectating her brother blowing out the candles and growing up. He turned into a very handsome young boy, resembling his sister greatly. They sang the happy birthday tune and all got a piece of cake, even Isabel.

"Let's open presents now," Marcus suggested. His family laughed. The present from his father were some action figures he had been wanting, his mother had given him a set of comic books, and his sister had given him a twine bracelet she'd bought with her own money. The real gift was from Carlos, though; he had gotten him an antique miniature train set.

The delight in his eyes made everyone happier as they danced around the set. "This is great, Uncle Carlos!" he said. "Thank you so much!"

The family smiled. Isabel checked the watch she had become accustomed to wearing and noticed that she had forty-five minutes to get back to work. "Sofia," she said, motioning toward the door. "We've got to go."

Sofia smiled and walked to her room. "I'll be ready in a second." Benjamin walked up to his wife, looping an arm around her.

She sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are," he said. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you. We'll talk tonight, no matter how late it is."

"Thanks, sweetie," she said, pecking his lips as Sofia walked out. "Ready, Sofia?" She nodded, putting her winter coat on and joining her mother out the door.

XX

Part 2: On Surprises and the Present

"How strange is it that?" Sally commented. Sofia and her were standing at the kitchen on their tiptoes. Their sweaters, Sally's pink and Sofia's green, touched arms as they looked at Etsu's cake. "Both of our siblings have the same birthday."

Sofia shrugged. "Maybe they'll be friends or something." Sally shook her head.

"Likely story. Etsu has issues with boys. I doubt it will change when she grows up," she explained. Sofia nodded. "And at least yours is related."

The two looked as Timothy wrapped his arms around Vivian's waist and kissed her neck.

"Do you have an issue with them?" Sofia asked. Sally shrugged.

"It's weird to see your dad making out with the woman from down the hall… well, now that she lives in our apartment unit, she's not really down the hall," Sally said, heaving a sigh. Sofia took a piece of her hair and let it spring back to its original state.

"She's down _a _hall," Sofia supplied. She laughed and nodded. Etsu walked up to them and tugged on Sofia's skirt.

"Fee!" she said. "I want cake!"

Sofia giggled, picking up the little girl. "In good time, my friend," she said, lifting her up to see the cake. The girl giggled with her. "A decent little sister, at least."

The engagement had come in October and the wedding followed soon after. Etsu had kept her old last name but Vivian was planning on asking her if she wanted to change it so they could be a big happy family.

Sally sighed. The big happy family wasn't how she'd expected it to be. It was very lonely and one-sided. But now that she had a good friend she could get over it… mostly.

"Are you ready, Etsu?" Vivian cooed. The little girl nodded and her mother lifted her to the cake. "Alright, you girls, get ready for this!"

The girls sighed disinterestedly. Timothy chuckled at them and went to the present pile for Etsu. There were at least ten presents for her as well as a small envelope. Sally was interested in that – it seemed to not be a present for solely Etsu.

They hummed the song to her and she gleefully leaned to blow out the candles. They fizzled out and Etsu quickly grew up.

"Wow," Sofia breathed. "She's cute."

The little girl had her black hair in a half-ponytail and had an overall dress on. But she had definitely grown into her features – and she looked just like her mother.

"Happy birthday, baby!" Vivian exclaimed, giving her a kiss on the cheek. The little girl put a comforting hand on her mother and took a slice of cake.

The two older girls smiled at each other, taking a slice to share. Sofia got up to retrieve her present for the little girl.

"Hey, Etsu, do you want your present?" Sofia asked. Sally smirked as she handed the gift to her.

"Yes!" she said, ripping the gift open eagerly. Sally raised her eyebrows at the small, elephant-shaped stuffed animal. It was very pretty and looked somewhat expensive.

Sally sighed. Of _course _it was expensive. The financial rift between their two families was becoming more apparent as they aged.

"Thank you, Fee!" she said, giving her a hug. "Can I open the rest now, mommy?" Vivian giggled and nodded, but Timothy put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

Sally frowned. So she was right, but what would they be giving to their family? And with Sofia around?

"We have an announcement," he said, pulling out the envelope. He gave it to Sally to open, which she did, examining what was on it with Sofia over her shoulder.

She glanced up at her father. "It's test results." Sofia smirked and kept looking over it. "From… a doctor's office."

"How is this good news?" Sofia asked. "Oh… I get it."

Sally looked at her. "How?" Her friend pointed to the title of the document and then the results. "Oh! You're pregnant."

"Yes!" Timothy and Vivian exclaimed. Sally's heart sank. Their apartment was crowded already, with Etsu and Sally sharing an already cramped room and their parents constantly bumping into things in their room. Although, knowing them, that could or could not be on purpose.

Sally forced a smile and took Sofia's hand. "That's great!" Sofia said, beaming. "I'm so happy for you."

"You're going to be a big sister, Sally!" Timothy gleefully said. Sally smiled, but she didn't mean it. _I'm already a big sister. _

Sofia took Sally's hand and pointed to her room. "Let's hang out after she's done with the rest of the presents. Then we can gossip about Luc Shin and Sunny's affairs with him." Sally giggled, liking that idea.

XX

Part 3: December Baby

Ramir paced the waiting room of the hospital anxiously. His wife had gone into labor and everything, giving him quite a scare, as they had to run out in the freezing cold in order to get to the hospital. It was night and the snow was starting to fall. It was the first snow of the season.

And, of course, there had been some sort of complication.

He was perusing through the newspapers, seeing his face on the front of most of them. Being hailed as the youngest and brightest mayor of any regional city, he had made a variety of changes to the town. Police forces had been cracking down on people and over ten various criminals, from both the Political Dog movement, as it had been dubbed, and miscellaneous crimes, had been apprehended and tried in the three months he had been in office.

People loved Ramir. But Ramir loved the people more. His public appearances were numerous and received well. His secret service guard had been cut, giving more benefits because Ramir trusted the people.

The call from that lady may have been oddly prophetic, but it wasn't real. Ramir was voted in by luck, a pure fluke. No one would have guessed it.

"Hey, Mayor Patel!" a young man said, nodding his head to the man. Ramir turned and extended his hand.

"Thank you for doing your job, sir," Ramir said respectfully. His family had always emphasized respect for elders and anyone who did important work. "What's your name?"

The man shook his head. "Not your problem. I was sent to fetch you, actually. Your wife is fine, as is your child. I understand the gender was supposed to be a surprise, and she would like your assistance with naming the kid." Ramir's face lit up. There was a kid now. He was a father now.

Never had he thought he could be so happy.

He followed the man down the hospital hallway to where his wife lay, holding a tiny little baby in her arms. It was already clad in a diaper and definitely sleeping.

Now he knew that he could get happier.

"Ana," he whispered, kneeling by the bed. "Is this our little baby?"

She grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Is it a mini Ana?" She nodded again.

"I didn't know what to name her," she said, stroking the baby's black hair. "She has your eye shape."

"Your skin, though," he commented. "What should we name her?"

He thought for a moment. "Something meaningful. Light and bouncy. Look at her, already smiling in her sleep. She's not going to be a serious child."

Ana laughed lightly. "Definitely going to be a handful for us. Hopefully I can go back to work so we can move out into a bigger house."

He sighed and gave the baby his finger to curl around. She did and grasped it incredibly hard for a little girl. "Whoa, tiger," he said, smiling at her. "I think she's a Lila."

Ana grinned at him. "That sounds like a perfect name for our little baby." He kissed her forehead and admired his daughter for a time more.

XX

Part 4: Repetition

Sam and Gabe sat on his couch together, barely touching fingers and shoulders. They weren't all over each other for one reason: Kim and Chastity were still there.

Sam had the feeling that Kim was staying simply to spite her. Not that she cared, though. Gabe just being there was perfectly fine for her.

"We should probably get home," Kim said. Gabe glanced at Sam. "Unless you don't want to." Gabe put a hand on her back.

"I can drive you," he said meaningfully. Chastity snorted and got up.

"I'm going to bed," she said quickly. "Goodnight, you guys." Kim smirked at the two and walked over to Sam to retrieve the keys. "Make good choices!"

Sam blushed as she handed over the car keys to her sister. Kim winked at her and walked out after bidding goodbyes.

Taking a deep breath, she felt Gabe move over to her and put his fingertips on her neck. "There you are, Princess. How are you?"

"Fine," she replied, managing to give him a smile. "Did – do you really want me to stay over?"

"Only if you want to," he said quickly. "I meant that I would drive you home later. Unless you didn't want to go home." She nodded and he kissed her lips carefully. "Are you okay with that?"

She nodded slowly, allowing the motion of her head to tell him what she was thinking since their eyes were closed. "Good. I'll have to be careful with you, though."

"Why?" she questioned, pulling away from him. He chuckled and pulled her off of the couch.

"Because you, princess, are a delicate creation who should be treated as such," he mused into her ear. She sighed as he placed his lips right below her ear. "If you give me permission…"

"Yes," she replied without thinking. He ran his hands down her sides, caressing her and kissing her neck. They pushed upstairs to his room.

"You're sure you're alright?" he asked again as they sat down on his bed. She nodded resolutely. "Don't lie to me."

"Why do you think I'm lying?" she questioned. "I wouldn't _be here _if I didn't want to, Gabe."

"You're saying that you want to, then?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"I thought you were smart," she said, exhaling quietly. "I feel safe around you, Gabe. I haven't seen Armand in a month. My nerves calm around you. So yes, I want to."

He gave her a dubious glance and she smacked his arm. "You're ridiculous!"

"Whatever you say, princess," he said, lying her down on the bed and taking off his shirt. He fell down next to her and took hand. "I'm sorry… are you sure?"

She rolled her eyes and turned to him, climbing onto his stomach. "You're not very receptive. I think you're hiding something." He chuckled and she kissed him again. "Come on. I'm not as breakable as you think." Cautiously, he lifted the edge of her shirt up. _Infuriating! _But he really wasn't infuriating. He was really devilishly handsome and made her stomach feel like butterflies in a nest when he was around. He was also smart and interesting and safe… but not too safe. Not boring.

Rolling her eyes, she simply took off her sweater, leaving her in a tank top and her jeans. His eyes flickered downward and she snickered.

"You're miserable, Gabe," she said, pulling him onto her for more kissing. The alien feeling of the situation was quickly fading. Instead of being quickly paced and wild, it was slow and metered and careful. It matched their personalities. It was careful but it had a purpose. It was like a symphony rather than a rock concert: both great to witness and perform in but had different meanings to different people.

He made a move for her pants and she obliged.

XX

Part 5: And You've Been Counting

Kim walked out to her car, waiting to make sure Sam didn't back out. If she did, she would send her back in because her sister needed that – it had leveled out Kim's fears back in high school, knowing she could do it without chickening out – but Sam was always too good for that.

How good Gabe was for her was an easy thing to measure. She was level, cool, collected, and quiet. Her nightmares had stopped and she had stopped shaking.

Kim felt proud of her sister. Being the older twin, she'd assumed the role of the older sibling. It had made her more confident and stronger, but really, Kim was just as worried as her sister.

She opened her door but paused. She heard a sound behind her.

"Okay," she sighed, turning around. "Show yourself."

Acacius stepped out from the doorway. "You've gotten more perceptive."

"Only because you've been more of an asshole. I've seen you forty times in the past three months."

"You've been counting?" he questioned. She rolled her eyes. "Fine, roll your eyes, Kim. But I'm not relenting."

"Is there a reason it's always at night? I mean, that's only a little frightening when I'm walking out to my car in the dead of night – "

"-it's only eleven thirty," he interrupted. She glared at him.

"And you continue sneaking up on me!"

"It's not _always _at night. I just prefer the evening."

"This is not even the evening!" she shouted in frustration. "What do you want? A ride home? Money?"

He snorted. "I don't want your money." She rolled her eyes. "What?"

"It just looks desperate and vaguely assaulting," she said. "Seriously. What do you want?"

He stared at her before turning on his heel and walking away.

"You have to be kidding me." She shook her head and continued to her car, starting it and driving home.

When she got home, the porch light was on. Not that she thought anything of it, since it could easily be some sort of animal, but it was still odd. She pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. She would have to go out early tomorrow for work, anyway.

Which reminded her of the situation. The boss, whom she still didn't know of a name for, was impossible toward her. Whatever she did was wrong for him.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't realize when she ran into him.

"Holy shit!" she yelled, hitting him in the chest. "How the _hell _did you get here?"

He chuckled. "You're sure an angry lady, aren't you?" She crossed her arms, waiting. His expression told her that he was confused, but he shouldn't be. "Oh, you want an explanation? Hm… I drive recklessly at night."

"Why the hell are you at my house? Speaking of that, how did you know it was my house?" she asked, hitting him with her purse. He laughed some more, leaning against her doorway. In doing that, he managed to look hot while also blocking her entry. "Do explain before I call the police."

"Do that, then, Kim. But I will explain. See, I have this issue where I can't socialize with people normally so I create scenarios in which I have to run into them. Eventually I run out so I start showing up in places that don't make sense – such as your friends' house and your own house. That reminds me, where's Sam?"

"Gabe," she said. "Who I suppose you know. From the party."

"Ah!" he said, something recognizing in his eyes. "So they're dating now?"

"More than dating," she said, implying heavily with her words. He nodded. "Which is why she is not here."

"So, basically, they're screwing in his room?" he clarified. She smirked and nodded. "How cute."

"She deserves it. Why am I telling you this?" she asked, starting for the door. He caught her shoulder, though. "Let go of me, you ignorant piece of work."

He chuckled. "Give me a break. I basically admitted that I like you."

She frowned, a snowflake falling onto her nose. "Were you really?" He nodded, a goofy grin on his face. Instead of reacting how he probably hoped she would, she kicked him in the shin.

"What the hell!" he said, holding his leg and walking after her. She jammed her key into the lock. "Wow, we really do act like preschoolers."

She glared at him and turned to her house. "I'm going to bed. Goodbye."

"Goddamnit, I can't talk to you! Please, Kim, listen," he said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "I've been stalking you, for lack of a better word, because I really, really like you. Okay?"

She swallowed, still facing the door. "And?"

"And I really want to get to know you," he said.

"And?" she prompted, knowing he was still holding back.

"Oh, you bitch," he cursed. Tapping her shoulder, she turned around into his face. "What else do you want me to say? That I find you absolutely screwable?"

"That would probably make your chances significantly less," she said, backing away from him. But then she caught a glance at his eyes again…

"Or more, judging by your incredibly distracted face," he said, decreasing the distance between him. "Talking with you is like a dance. We spin and we spin but we never get what we really want."

"And what might that be?" she questioned smartly, crossing her arms. He put his hand up by her cheek, but then seemed to reconsider, settling on putting it on her shoulder.

Sighing, she realized _exactly _what he was talking about.

"I think you know, Kim." He took his hands off of her and turned. "I'll see you around."

_Shit._ "Wait!" she said. He turned back and she bit her lip.

"Yes, Kim?" he asked patiently.

"You're going to make me reach for this, aren't you?"

"You make _me _reach for it."

"God… I have work tomorrow, but do you want to hang out after work?"

He grinned. "As long as we get the coffee at your house." She nodded – until she realized the innuendo in that statement. He was already walking away.

"Hey!" she shouted. "You stupid bastard!"

"It's all part of my charm," he called back. She growled and angrily stomped into her house.

XX

Part 6: It's Not Like They'll Make You Do It

Tara crept through her house as quietly as possible, making sure her father didn't hear her. He'd stopped checking on her since she started to get her grades up. Well, it also helped that she'd completely stopped talking about Justin.

There was, of course, a reason for that. A very… _militant _reason.

"Hey, boys," Tara said, meeting the Grunt boys outside of her apartment complex. Ripp and Tank were at each other's throats, Tank having Ripp in a headlock. "Whoa, what's the problem?"

Tank stood up, smiling halfway for the girl. "Ah… a disagreement."

"You mean that you were trying to freaking _kill me_?" Ripp asked. The sophomore rubbed his head, shaking out his long hair. Tank shrugged, the senior's hair even closer than it was a few days ago. From the grapevine, she'd heard that he was planning on going into the army like his father. Ripp, however, was not planning on that.

"Do you two actually hate each other?" she questioned. They fell silent. "What, did I hit a sore spot?"

"We _used _to hate each other. But then my dad shaped up and we reconciled," Tank explained resolutely. "Anyway, we'd better get going to go see your boyfriend." She wondered what they meant by used to. They had a decent love-hate sibling relationship at that moment, but if they didn't used to get along… Both of them could be somewhat scary to the other.

She decided not to think about it.

She shivered as the three started walking down the street. If her father saw her, she was dead. But she'd been doing this since November, and she'd been talking to him since October. They had been careful. But, of course, not too careful.

Being rebellious felt really nice, as Ripp had definitely taught her. Clothes and hair were only part of it, both of which she hadn't changed. Attitude was a giant thing in being rebellious. But being technical and tactical also had its advantages, as Tank had taught her. The plans were the best part of it. Both were great boys. But she'd snagged them on different girls. Well, she had hoped she'd snagged them on different girls.

The snow pelted down, making a nice scene to walk in. Both of the boys had their army green coats on and Tara had her pink one on.

Her father had been nicer and kinder. Even gentler, once asking how Justin was holding up. There was a nasty battle between his parents – his father was gay, she'd heard from him – and Justin was being torn between parents.

"Man, it's fu – freaking cold," Ripp corrected himself. Tara smirked as Tank tried to hit him. "What is your issue with cussing?"

"Yeah, Tank. You're so fucking uptight," Tara said viciously. Tank blushed and Ripp laughed darkly.

"I… just don't like it," he muttered, glaring at the ground as if he could disappear. "I mean… mom used to cuss and dad always yelled…"

_Oh great, _Tara thought. _More marital strife. _

"What happened to mom?" she asked casually.

"Dead," they both said suddenly.

"Well," she said, frowning and concentrating on the sidewalk. "That's awkward."

"Yeah, our dad kicked her out and then she was found in that old Specter's house. See, we Strangetown-ites have theories about her," Ripp explained. "My dad personally thinks it was an accident. Idiot."

"Dad is _not _an idiot, Ripp!" Tank complained. Tara sighed. Sometimes, even though Tank was older, he could be such a kid. Two years apart, it was much like a relationship between twins. Ripp was more mature for his age and Tank was less. There was a great parallel, really.

"What do you think, Ripp?" The boy shrugged.

"I think Specter definitely killed some of the service kids but I don't know about mom."

Tara understood it now. Ripp was a mommy's boy and Tank was a daddy's boy. However, they were at odds because their parents were at odds. The only reason they were civil was because they had to be a team in order to stick together in a town like that… or like Belladonna. If events happened differently, as in the school idea where all children from every suburb went to the same high school, they would probably be in completely different groups and hate each other. Heck, if things were different…

"Are those streetlights the park?" Tara asked, squinting into the snow. Ripp cursed to himself, worried about the snow. "Don't worry. We'll get back before it gets too bad. And if we die in the snow it's _totally _Tank's fault." She snickered, knowing Tank would react. He hated getting into trouble.

"HEY!" Tank bellowed.

"Quiet down, the snow fairies might hear us," Justin said, walking up to the three. Tara walked up to him and kissed him. His lips and nose were colder than hers, pressing into her face like two ice cubes. It still felt good, though.

"God, you two, get a room," Ripp said to Tank. The two shook with silent laughter, but Tara didn't hear.

"Damn, you're cold," she whispered in his ear. He shrugged, pointing to his father's car. "Oh, you're with your dad."

"And his _friend_ Antonio. He isn't fooling _anyone_!" he complained, giving Tara a pout. "At least he gets me a ride to see you. And he's the cool parent, you know?"

"I wish I had two parents to choose from," Tara said, smirking at him. He pressed his nose into hers and the two kissed again.

"Hey! I wish I had two parents as well but it's _freezing _out here!" Tank called. "Also the snow's going down too hard." Justin's pocket buzzed and he pulled out his phone. "Tell me that's your father telling you to get out of here!"

Justin frowned. "He's right. See you tomorrow?"

She winked and nodded. "Always, Romeo. Same time, same place." He pumped his fist and they started to full on make out.

Ripp pretended to retch and throw up while Tank shook his head judgmentally. Tara giggled against his mouth and they moved with each other…

"Romeo and Juliet," Tank mused. "I never was much for eighth grade literature, but I read that story. It seems almost familiar, the two feuding families."

Ripp shook his head. "Too many plot differences. One, no one knows the reason why Justin's dad was outed except Tara, Armand, and Justin, so there's no feud there. As far as I know, Armand and Marissa go out to dinner with Geoff every so often." Every bit of knowledge he had Tara had given to him since their father _still _wouldn't let them go to school with the rest of the kids. The reasoning behind it was not established even though Buck begged his father. "Second, there was a quantifiable age difference between Romeo and Juliet. They're, like, two months apart."

"When'd you get so smart?" Tank sulked.

"I've _always _been this smart. I just started studying, is all." The two spectated as Tara finally separated herself from Justin's mouth. She whispered something in his ear that looked like an apology and she returned to the two brothers. They kept their eyes on her. Instead of liking her, they were like older brothers to her, the older brothers she'd never had.

In a way, she needed them. But they needed her too.

Waving their goodbyes, the three and the one parted ways, walking in opposite directions.

A chuckle rumbled low in Ripp's throat. Tara shot him a look but her grin gave her away.

"What, Ripp?"

"I hope you have a good supply of turtlenecks," he said. Tank gave his brother a conspiratorial glance. They had an arsenal of comedy they could use as foils to each other because of how much they'd practiced against Buck. Which reminded them of how they had to thank him when they got home with their phones so he could call his little girlfriend.

"Because you're probably going to have a hickey by tomorrow." She slapped her palm to her forehead. "Yeah… judging by the trajectory of the moonlight and the amount of snow falling, you're definitely a Juliet."

"What do you mean by a Juliet?" she questioned.

"Either the one in Veronaville or the one in the novel: you're hopelessly in love." She rolled her eyes, but the blush did not lie. "Yes, by my mathematical calculations…"

She socked Ripp in the shoulder. "Speaking of Justin's father…"

"I do not recall talking about Justin's father," Tank said. "Do you, Ripp?"

"No," he said. "But do go on."

"Since my dad outed him and all, I have a question for you. If you were gay, would you rather tell your dad yourself or have him find it out second hand?"

She stared at them, waiting for their answers. Ripp glanced at Tank for a split second – almost unnoticeable, really – and answered.

"Definitely tell him myself. I mean, he'd probably disown me or whatever, but still. Second hand just sucks."

"Hold it… are you answering in my metaphor to tell my father about Justin or are you being literal?" she questioned. Ripp nodded, realizing what she was trying to say, and tried again.

"Oh… ha, considering what your dad did to him, I'd shut the hell up about it and deny everything," Ripp said. "If our dad was intense yours is homicidal."

"He's too quiet," Tank commented. "I'm wary of him."

"You're wary of everyone, Tank," Ripp said, "Anyway, we're here. We'll cross the street and catch the bus home. If we timed it right, then we might be able to catch it."

"Thanks for everything, guys," Tara said. They nodded. "See you tomorrow." She gave both of them a hug and opened the door to her apartment building.

After she left, Tank exhaled. "You're a real piece of work, aren't you?" he said. Ripp smirked.

"I try my hardest, big brother. Now let's go before I freeze my nipples to death."

XX

Part 7: Static

"Snow's not good when it's falling!" Phoebe screamed to Frances. She simply rolled her eyes and continued reading the manual she was reading: _How to Assemble your Cauldron in 74 Easy Steps. _The steps were neither easy nor were there seventy-four of them. In fact, there were probably around three hundred. But Frances kept reading because in one of her tirades, Phoebe had shattered hers. "It's romantic and it's happy!"

"Calm down, Phoebe," she said, sounding bored. "It's too late for this. Rather, it's too early. It's midnight." Phoebe grinned. "And no, it's not perfect." Frances sighed, closing her book and standing up. "I am losing power and you are gaining it. This is not how we work. Our prefecture, which we are in charge of, has no more powers to compete with. It is you and I. So why am I losing it?"

"You aren't," she said automatically, although she doubted it. Sally could be doing something. She'd been keeping an eye on the girl for a while and was glad she'd found a friend. From what she'd seen, the girl wasn't happy about her fathers' new marriage and was cramped in the room she had to share with her new sister, but she seemed happy enough.

Whatever was changing, though, Frances needed to get a look at.

"What do you know that I don't?" Phoebe asked. Frances glanced up at her. "That haircut looks terrible on you, by the way."

The haircut looked good on Frances, though. She had cut it into a pixie cut and it showed off her cheekbones and minimized her lips. But Phoebe didn't know what she was saying.

Frances curled up on the couch and waved her wand around, leaving green and yellow trails in the air. "So how's Connor been going?"

Phoebe wrinkled her nose. "That new boyfriend's been keeping him away from her but I can't touch him."

She frowned. "Why not?"

"Because her alliances shifted from Kim to him because she didn't have to worry about her. Now I could touch her but _there's nothing to touch _because she has no love interest." Phoebe sighed, starting a blue fire with her wand. "And the stupid new cop has run half of my crime out of town. It's pissing me off!"

"Calm down, Phoebe," Frances calmed.

"_You calm down!" Kay screamed at her. _

"Give me a break," Phoebe said, wrinkling her nose.

"_I'm reacting remarkably calm for you stealing my boyfriend," Frances replied. "I mean, I don't even care."_

"You're getting angry again," Frances warned. Phoebe cracked her wall next to her desk. "Don't do this."

"_Don't do this, Kay," Frances warned. _

"_I'll do whatever the hell I please, Frances!" Kay shouted back, hitting her sister in the forehead. Frances fell down, her mouth forming into an o. _

"_That does it," she muttered, balling her hands up into fists. _

"I'll crack your head open again," Phoebe muttered, blowing out her window. The glass, however, flew back in and peppered Frances. She grunted, shutting her eyes. "Let me get angry."

"You can't," Frances said simply. "I won't let you."

"GET MAD AT ME!" she screamed, finally breaking. She'd learned to control her rages but once she broke she would keep screaming until she calmed down. Frances got up and clasped her hands around her wrists.

It felt, as they touched, like they were changing again. Frances felt the internal battle she'd grown accustomed to start to overpower herself and she let go. Phoebe stopped, too, letting go and looking at her hands. The crackle of idle static electricity expiring filled the air and made Frances' short hair stand on end. Whenever they fought with their wands or their hands static flew off of them and into the surrounding air.

"What was that?" she asked, staring at Frances. "It was… the power took me over for a second…" The two stared at each other, Phoebe's black hair flaying into her face and giving her an incredibly demonic look.

"I don't know what it is," Frances said anxiously. "But I intend to find out and make sure it doesn't happen again. The bad… it took me over."

She snorted. "That's when good-for-nothing good people become bad witches." She spun on her heel and walked out. "Now we need to fix this power reversal, Frances."

Frances sighed and followed. _The power needs to go in Sally's favor for us to win, _she thought miserably, following her orders.

She would need a very good plan for this. In fact, she would have to have the perfect plan. Hiding things from her sister was never easy, but she would have to manage it in order to finish her.

XX

Part 8: Mule

Carlos sat idly in the bar. It was well past one in the morning. Where was she?

Geoff grumbled beside him. "I'm too tired for this. She probably isn't even going to show up." Carlos shook his head. "What? Just because you two slept together doesn't mean she's reliable."

Carlos shook his head again. "My Chastity is reliable."

"My Chastity my ass," she said, pulling out the chair next to them. She'd entered behind Geoff so he hadn't noticed her. "Sorry, I fell asleep and woke up with the alarm set at twelve. I just got here late."

"At least you're here," Carlos said, glancing back and forth. Geoff's silly roommate, Connor, was at the game section of the place, trying to win a stuffed animal. The kid was not fun to be around.

She nodded and examined a ring on her finger. "I am here. So what do you want?"

"Delivery," Geoff interrupted. "Supply bundle to a contact we will give you on the day of the delivery." She glared at him as he handed her a box. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Oh, I'll do business with you, you little shit," she hissed, snatching it out of his hands and walking away. "Unless you have something else for me."

Carlos' eyes were not on hers. "You fucking perv. Look at something else instead of my ass. I swear, you get more unbearable as I spend time with you."

"Okay, slut, you can leave now," Geoff said, annoyed. She dropped the box on the floor and faced him. "Whoa, someone's got a beef."

"Someone's going to get a face full of rings if they don't shut the hell up," she said, shifting her weight and crossing her arms. Even though she was small, she was plenty threatening, especially with her alternative haircut and piercings. How she got a job at Armand's business was beyond Carlos.

"Shut up, Geoff," Carlos interrupted. "And yeah, we're done. Get ready on Tuesday or so for it." She rolled her eyes, picked up the box, and left.

"Jesus, Carlos, are you being a sell-out for a reason?" Geoff asked, glancing back at her. Carlos shrugged.

Carlos' phone buzzed. It was from Armand, telling him to check his newsfeed. He sighed and put it away. It could wait.

"I have a soft spot for her. She has a spark most of our saps don't."

Geoff scoffed. "Sure, you have a _soft spot_." Carlos smirked and looked to the side. In an hour they would be kicked out, although neither of them were drunk. Secrets were everywhere in an affluent bar if one knew where to look.

Armand's stock had grown because of all of the good publicity from the new mayor's expiration of crime since Armand had attached his name to it without attaching it to Ramir. He had worked his magic and Carlos was interested in how he did that.

"Yo, man," a very obviously drunk man said to his friend, stumbling, "that the crimes have dropped off because they're scared?"

"Yeah, dude?" the other young man slurred. "I figured it was because they were all busted by that new woman cop. She seems like… like a girl!" The two laughed and made their way to the door.

Carlos sighed. If drunks said it, it could very well be public opinion by now. "Bartender? What do you think of the crime?"

The woman looked up curiously at the old man who addressed her. "Um… the new woman who's busting them seems to be doing a good job." He smiled.

"My niece," he said proudly. "I love her to death." He returned his attention to Geoff, who was looking intently at his phone. "What is so important that you're ignoring your business partner, Geoff?"

He looked up at Carlos, a somber look on his face. "Um, your girlfriend's in the hospital. Everyone's accusing you of doing it."

Carlos' features dropped. "You're kidding?"

"No. Jess is in the hospital. It looks like she tried to kill herself."

Carlos picked up his coat and rushed out of the bar.

XX

Part 9: Next Time

Jessica cracked her eyes open. It was too bright and too white and too early for this…

She looked at the curtains. They were dark. So it was too late? Jesus, she was too drunk for this.

Hold it, she wasn't drunk. What? All she could remember was all of the freaking vodka she'd drank…

And then the blackout. Ah. Now she realized what had happened. She was probably in her room, sleeping off her bender.

But her room was pink, not white. God, this was confusing.

She tried to get up but felt a searing pain in her wrists. Looking down in confusion, she tried to pick at the bandages on them.

_Oh… oh no. Who found me? And am I still…_

_Shit, shit, shit. _Of _course _she was in the hospital. Nothing went her way, did it? So what if they'd found her cutting herself once. All melodramatic teenagers did it. And so did depressed people if they wanted to die.

If she tried, she could pretend it was heaven, but really, it was definitely hell.

"…and she is my girlfriend," someone said.

"But she is my ex wife."

_And it gets worse, _she thought, sighing. It was three little cuts. Nothing worth going to the hospital over. Seriously, she felt better.

"She doesn't even care about you anymore, Armand!" Carlos protested. _I don't really care about you either, Carlos, to be honest, _she admitted to herself. _If I had realized half of how dangerous you were I would be long gone. Maybe gone to Riverblossom or something. _

"I have a right to see her!"

"Calm down, men," a nurse said. "She is probably sleeping."

"Nah, I'm not," she called, sitting up and managing to rub her eyes. "Come on, you two."

The nurse was at a loss as the two charged in. She already had a feeling of what they were there for but she had to be sure.

"What statement do you need?" she asked tiredly, squeezing her eyes shut. "Let me guess, you need to cover yourselves because of the media."

"Ridiculous," Armand muttered. "You've groomed her to not look out for herself."

"Shut up, you're here for the exact same reason," Carlos growled. "They said that I did this to you. Is this true?"

"If you refer to the drinking myself into oblivion for you, then yes," she said. "If you're referring to the suicide attempt, no. I mean… it wasn't even a suicide attempt. It was a silly moment of weakness. I'm better now."

"She was better the last two times as well," Armand said quietly. She kept her eyes closed. They were not the people she wanted to look at. "We're both facing allegations, though, and – "

"Stock plummets, rumors fly, social reputations are smeared. I get it. Now I say it was simply a mistake, I am better, and everything is cheery. Now can I please go back to sleep?" she questioned. The two stood still for a moment.

"Thanks, Jess," Carlos said.

"Yes, thank you, Jessica," Armand said politely. She nodded.

"Get out, now," she said, turning over and curling up on the hospital bed. If everything went well and she was a good girl, they would let her out like the last two times. The two would give her space for a little while but they'd come right back because they needed her just like she needed them. Everyone was sleazy in her circles. That was all she had ever known, from her mother and father to her entire life. It was sad but she accepted it.

"I'm better, I swear," she said to no one in particular, reaching over to turn off the lamp next to her. "Maybe next time I'll get it right."

Next time.

As she slid off into a sleep, she began to wonder if there would be a next time.

XX

_TL;DR: Marcus grows up and Isabel is too busy. Etsu grows up and Timothy and Vivian announce another kid as Sofia and Sally hang out. Ana and Ramir have a kid named Lila. Sam and Gabe get together. Kim runs into Acacius and they set up a tentative date. Tara sneaks out with Tank and Ripp to see Justin. Phoebe and Frances argue about a power shift. Chastity picks up a package from Carlos and Geoff. Jessica is hospitalized for trying to kill herself and Armand and Carlos show up to get their names cleared. _

_100 pages has been achieved. I'd like to thank the academy…_

_Coming up next: part two to the saga. _


	11. Chapter 9: Raggedy Andy

_A/N: I don't like this chapter. I'm sorry, babies. Once I get the details worked out it'll get better. To make up for this, here are some fun facts. Also because it's the first chapter of what's going to be a long-ass second part. _

_-This story is, at time of publishing, 110 pages and 54,332 words. _

_-This story has 13 reviews and 213 (!) views. _

_-This story has 4 followers._

_-This story has one very sim-missing author since she cannot play since math, history, and the National Spanish Exam occupy her spare time. _

_-This author has no idea what else to fanfiction for since she does not read or watch anything. _

_With that cheery note, thanks so much to . .memories for following! Also to anyone who lurks and loves this. I know your feelings. _

XX

Chapter 9: Raggedy Andy

Isabel was at work way too early for her convenience. She hadn't gotten to see her son off to his first day of school. Benjamin was, expectedly, incredibly angry, but she'd managed to console him by telling him she'd get off early…

She snorted. Like that'd happen.

"Morning, Mrs. Baldwin," her partner, a man named Shannon Todd, said, sipping his coffee casually. "How's the home front?"

"Terrible," she muttered, lying her head on the desk. "I'm dead tired, my husband's mad at me, and I'm missing my son's first day of school." He took a seat next to her. "But this job… it's everything I dreamed."

"I know," he said, leaning back. "However, once you're done sulking, we have somewhere to take a look at." She raised her head up to look at him. "Yeah. You know how we busted a ton of the Dogs' people? Apparently we didn't get all of them."

She pushed herself up. "Walk and talk. Let's talk through this," she said, wringing her hands. "So we found around ten confirmed members. But we have little to no information on anything but mechanics, and we already knew mechanics. Why is that?"

Isabel had pushed up the ranks incredibly quickly. Right now, she was kind of _training _her partner, but he didn't know that.

Shannon thought for a moment. "They have to know the mechanics to function… but purpose or motive wouldn't be necessary. In fact, they would add an unnecessary level of risk if they got caught."

"Exactly! And some of them got caught doing some very obvious things," she said. "What does this tell you about the mastermind?"

"They operate in circles," he said. "It's a technique used by criminals doing high risk things. None of them know the mastermind, however, because they were caught on purpose." He grinned at her.

"That's what I was thinking. However… this gives us little to work with," she said sadly as the two got into the car. He sighed.

"Why don't I get to drive?" he whined. She shrugged and shook her head, pulling out of the police compound.

She set her jaw and thought. This criminal she was looking for – and she didn't even know if it was _one _criminal – was elusive and incredibly smart. There was no motive, no money or crime being covered up. The slogan was ridiculous and didn't tell anyone.

Turning to the side per Shannon's directions, she bit her nails. Her nails were pretty bitten since it was her nervous habit. The new job came with stress and nerves but she wouldn't do anything differently. It was exciting. It was entertaining.

And, as she saw the giant display of graffiti on the city hall alleyway, it was also painstaking.

"Wow, they tagged it well," Shannon commented, unlocking his seat belt. "I think they probably hired professional artists."

She crossed her arms and grumbled, holstering her gun. Sometimes there were people stationed by there hoping to get arrested. But today, it looked like their luck was up.

"Huh," he commented, the snow melting into her pant legs. "It says 'Winter is the Season of the Dog'."

"That's an even dumber slogan," she grumbled, kicking the wall. "It's too cold for graffiti."

"This was done right before the snowfall," he said. She raised an eyebrow.

"How do you figure?"

"Well, if it was done after the snow, there would be paint pooling on the edge of the snow near the wall. If it were done during it, the lines wouldn't be as clear since it was windy as heck when it snowed. So it has to be done before, since it was dry when it started snowing." Isabel nodded. His analysis made sense.

She walked up to it and rubbed a finger along the wall. It was definitely spray paint. Sometimes it was chalk, which washed off incredibly easy.

"This can't stay," she said. "It's on the city hall, for Creator's sake. But how can they repaint it?"

"I could assist you with that," someone said. Isabel's hand flew to her gun and she turned around. "Whoa, stand down, troops. I respect the badge."

"Explain yourself," she said gruffly, chewing on her cheek. The man was tall, blonde, and had a dark gray sweater on. "What's your name, son?"

"Isabel Baldwin," he said, crossing his arms and stalking toward her. "You've certainly climbed the ranks as a police officer. Looking good in blue."

She frowned. She'd never seen this guy before. "What do you want?"

"I can fix this," he said, gesturing to the wall. "I got clearance for the fifth and sixth graders at PS 12 to do a mural on this wall. They'd simply be covering this up."

She furrowed her brows, lowering her gun. Shannon wavered next to her. He didn't quite know what to do.

"No one knows about this tag. If we work on getting it covered for the mural, then it will go away without a sound. You _do _realize that these criminals want attention, right?" the man said.

Isabel walked up to him. "And who do you think you are, mister? Do you have any clearance to do this?"

He gave her a wicked glance and brandished a badge. "Acacius Katsaros. My father is the leader of the police force. It's a pleasure to meet you."

XX

"I'm nervous, daddy," Marcus said, grasping his father's hand. Sofia had his other one as they led him into the lower school. "What if they don't like me?"

"Of course they'll like you, sport," Benjamin said, giving his son a grin. The boy smiled back, holding his freezer bunny backpack in one hand and his SimMan lunch box in the other.

The three walked into the brightly colored building. There were yellow, blue, purple, and pink painted bricks on the side along with drawings of happy things adorning the walls. On the ground were chalk drawings, although some of them were covered with snow.

Sofia pointed to a group of kids gathered in the playground. "Dad, those are my friends. Can I go?" Benjamin nodded, leaning over to give her a kiss on the forehead. "Bye, daddy!"

"Have a good day," he called, leading his son into the building. A sign saying their names gathered the youngest kids that transferred in the winter semester. The teacher, a bubbly blonde woman, motioned to them. "Hello," Benjamin said politely. "This is Marcus. He's a new student." The blonde woman smiled and knelt next to Marcus.

"Hey, Marcus. How are you doing today?" she asked. Marcus grasped his fathers' hand. "I have a friend I think might benefit from being your friend."

Benjamin gave his son a small smile. "Come on, son. Have a good day."

The woman rubbed his back and ushered him over to a little girl in a pink dress with a black bob. "This is Etsu. Etsu, this is Marcus."

"He's a boy," Etsu pointed out.

"She's a girl," Marcus countered.

"Yes," the blonde woman said, "but you both love Freezer Bunny and SimMan," she said, indicating Marcus' backpack and lunchbox. Etsu had the same ones. "I think you'll have something to talk about."

"You like Freezer Bunny?" Etsu asked. Marcus nodded.

"And you like SimMan? I thought only boys like that," he said. She shook her head.

"Oh, no, I love SimMan! The show is so cool," she said enthusiastically. The woman chuckled and walked off, leaving them to talk. "And his sidekick's so funny."

"Yeah, I know. Remember the episode when there's all of those cats in a burning building…"

XX

"It's taken care of," Acacius called, throwing his keys on the kitchen table and ditching his coat. "No one will see that."

His father, an older version of him, appeared at the door to the kitchen with his arms crossed. He had a sour expression on his face.

"What, your spot in the organization or that stupid graffiti you're trying so desperately to cover up?" he said snidely. Acacius rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Arkadios, I managed to get into the insider trading ring," he said, rolling his eyes. The two looked almost identical if they had the same eyes. His father's were a stony gray, though, and Acacius had blue eyes.

He snorted. "I should have known a son of that woman wouldn't be able to do anything I ask." Acacius sighed and looked away, massaging his bicep. "Did that bruise teach you anything?"

"Of course it did," he said automatically. They never did, but he was expected to give the same response every time he was asked.

His father chuckled and motioned for him to proceed into the living room. He followed and sat at the desk. His living room wasn't much of an actual living space. Instead, it was a study, complete with four desks arranged in a circle around him. There were walls with giant displays, a map of Belladonna along with pushpins and nametags on it, and pictures of the residents on his wall.

To say that Arkadios Katsaros was obsessive was an understatement. When he got transferred he made files on every single person in town. The town was mostly his.

"Have a seat, son," he said, dropping into his chair. Acacius sat tentatively in the desk chair set in front of his desk. "Where are your relationships now?"

"I am acquainted with Carlos and Geoff. The police force is aware of my existence as is the school." He sighed. A pawn for his father, his charisma was used to become friends with every person in town. He left out Kim, though. His opinions of her friends were unsavory. "What else do I need?"

He scoffed and typed some words into his laptop. "Not good enough to be _acquainted. _You need to be their best friend. They need to tell you everything." Acacius sighed and examined his clasped hands. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, father." When he was younger it would have been abuse. But his father was good and on the police force – no investigation would ever come to fruition. Now it was simply assault and that was more difficult to pin on him.

Not that anyone would.

"Also, there's… supernatural occurrences picking up on my radar," he explained calmly. "This town's under the influence of two witches and a seer."

"Seer?" Acacius clarified.

"Future teller, you dumb excuse for a son," he growled. Acacius rubbed his neck. He was tanned enough so that he didn't blush. "So find out who those are, alright?"

"Yes, father," he repeated.

"Now go to the basement. You'll be down there for three hours."

He let air whistle through his teeth. That was a ridiculous amount of time. But there was not way he could say no.

"Yes, father," he said, gritting his teeth. "Thank you."

XX

It was the end of the workday for Sam and Gabe. They were rather quiet at work. It was odd that they weren't talking all the time but it wasn't awkward.

"You okay?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Tired," she replied simply. He smirked. "What?"

"I wonder why."

"You're insufferable," she said, smacking his arm. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist. "You know _exactly _why."

"Of course I do, princess," he said as the two pushed out the door. He leaned over to kiss her. "I'm tired. There was a lot of stuff to do today."

She hopped onto the top of his car. Even though it was cold, it wasn't unbearable. He raised his eyebrows at her. "What do you want?"

"Do you want to grab something to eat?" she questioned. "I'm starving." He smirked and grabbed her waist, pulling her off of the car.

"Of course," he murmured, leading her to the passenger seat and opening the door for her. "And then after that I was thinking we go to my house and hang out."

She bit her lip and shook her head slowly. "I can't. I have to check on Kim. I haven't been home in a day or so and need to get things taken care of… is that okay?"

He sighed but nodded, getting in. "We'll still go for dinner. Come on."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it, princess," he said, touching her cheek. "I'm not angry. Don't worry about it." She nodded, not quite believing him. "Samantha, look at me."

She looked up, her eyebrows arching. "It isn't a big deal." He patted her shoulder and started the car. "You need to calm down. I'm not always going to be mad at you. I figured you'd know that by now." He frowned concernedly. "Did I do something?"

"Oh, god no!" she said, laughing nervously as he pulled out of the parking lot. "It isn't you. It's… not your business."

"I'm your boyfriend. Are you sure it's not my business?" he asked. She chewed her lip hard. "I swear you're safe with me." To prove – or disprove, as it seemed – his point, he slammed on the brakes at the light.

"Stop it!" she said, giggling at him. "Fine… I guess… see, my parents had a rocky relationship. I was my father's favorite and Kim was my mother's. So whenever one of us got in trouble it was the other parent who yelled. But my mother was the only effective yeller and whenever my grades weren't spotless I was completely chewed out."

"And?"

"She was always mad at me. I was never good enough. It was always my fault." She looked at him. "Sorry. I told you this was stupid."

"No, princess, it's not," he said, scanning the road. "What sounds good? I was thinking café. Keep it light, you know."

She nodded. "Sounds good."

Swallowing, she knitted her hands together. That wasn't all of it and Gabe knew it. He just wasn't pressing her.

Why wasn't he pressing her, though?

Letting it go, they pulled into the café and proceeded in.

XX

"She's adorable, sir," his advisor told Ramir, setting a pile of papers on his desk. He was staring at a picture of his daughter, rubbing his chin. "But you really have work to do."

"Excuse me?" he asked, looking up at the advisor. "Oh. Yeah. Work. Sorry."

"She's a spectacular baby, I hear," he said. "Already have pictures?"

He grinned despite himself. "Of course. She's our firstborn. We would react like that. Once we have the two others we're hoping for, though, it'll go away." His goofy grin stayed on his face. He was just so _happy_. "Little Lila."

"Now, I'd like you to read the report, sir, and then we'll discuss the details of your speech you're scheduled to give next week." Ramir sat down and nodded coherently, trying to make it look like he understood. But he was twelve miles away. "Okay, so look at the crime reports. There's been a giant tag right outside of city hall that the local fifth and sixth graders are going to cover up – thanks, Katsaros – and a few petty thefts. There's been a rise on pickpocketing by someone _other _than Unsavory Charlatan, which is interesting."

Ramir took the papers and sifted through them. "Aren't the cops overloaded enough? I mean, they have families as well." The advisor sighed and took a seat.

"Sir, if you don't mind me interjecting, we need their help even if it overloads them." Ramir nodded and straightened the papers. He scanned over them…

"I thought we were doing fine on crime just a few weeks ago!" he protested. The advisor shook his head. "What happened?"

"Crime never sleeps," the advisor said, sitting down and beginning to drill through the papers. "So, the nearest action of plan should probably include the new found military force as well…"

XX

Armand didn't feel old. He was only thirty-five. But his father had given up his business when he was forty-five. That was only ten years from where he was. Early retirement and benefits was a great thing.

But he was worried about Tara. Her grades in math were receding to average – she wouldn't get into the good business school he'd gone to – and she was spending a lot of time with her new friends.

Perhaps they'd have a talk about those Grunt boys.

He tapped on his computer, checking his stocks. They weren't bad. In fact, they were doing better than ever since his name was cleared up with that Jessica thing.

What a silly girl. Like trying to kill herself would solve her problems. He smiled to himself and checked his email. Only something from Carlos remained and he didn't want to read that.

In the high circles, he was the outcast. He was too quiet and too controlled for anyone's good. But he was necessary. Watching people squirm was what he liked to do.

The door swung open and his redheaded daughter walked in. "Hey, dad," she greeted, skipping toward the direction of her room. He got up and blocked her. "What's up?"

"We need to talk," he said, gesturing to the kitchen table. She raised an eyebrow, ditching her backpack and joining him at the table. "I haven't talked with you in a while."

She rested her chin on her fist. "Yeah?"

"I've noticed you hanging out with new friends," he commented. "Ripp and Tank, are they?"

"Sons of the General," she said proudly. "Why?"

He pursed his lips. "I think you might be hanging out with them too much."

Tara's features dropped. "You're kidding me, right? First Justin and now this," she said. "They are _perfectly fine _friends. They're from a good family."

"They're from Strangetown, honey…"

"So what?" she exploded, slamming her hands on the table. "If I'm not allowed to have a boyfriend, I should at least be allowed to have friends." She got up. Armand caught her wrist and pulled her back down. "What?"

"Your math grades are slipping."

She rolled her eyes. "So?"

"If you don't keep up your math grades you won't get into Academie. And if you don't get into there you don't get my business," he said. "And then you're disowned. I told you that I adopted you for a reason."

"Seriously, dad? What if I don't want your business?"

"You can't just decide that, Tara. You are the heir to my business and you will take it over." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "What, now you're not taking my business? I told you _why _I adopted you."

She sighed. "Dad, there are other things in life to experience. There's travelling, getting a fun job, doing stuff that you want to, living on your own…"

"Which you can do when you are financially and academically secure," he said firmly. She huffed and got up. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to my room to do my homework," she said, picking up her backpack. "And then I'm going out with Ripp, Zoe, and Tank to a study group for the history test tomorrow."

"Tara, you listen to me! If you leave, you're going to be in big trouble when you get back," he threatened. She flipped him off and slammed the door behind her.

Armand sighed. Punishing her would have to be more effective than he'd been doing it.

XX

Kim sighed. Walking out from work was almost as bad as walking in after a night of being berated by her boss. She shoved the keys in the lock and opened her door. Getting into the old, beat up red car, she turned the ignition on. It faltered but it still turned on.

Pressing her head against the steering wheel, she thought about what her boss had called her. Over and over and over again.

Worthless and useless and lazy and a stupid goth. Why was she figured a goth? She only had the black hair and wore the makeup. Her work clothes weren't gothic. She wore the makeup because she liked how it looked, not because she was trying to make a statement.

"Damn," she muttered, eyeing the gas meter. She was almost out. Murmuring to herself allowed her to remain cool-headed in the car. "Stop by the gas station on the way home."

"I'd stop by the one off of Bella Road."

Kim froze and slowly turned around. "What. The. _Fuck_. Are. You. Doing?" she said, the acid leaking into her words freely. "This is my _car_. How did you even get _in_?"

Acacius shrugged and crossed his arms. He was in the back seat and had a white shirt with a jean jacket on, both perfectly clean and ironed.

"You left your door unlocked," he said nonchalantly."

"No, I didn't."

"Back door," he said, gesturing to the lock. Kim thought it over. She realized that it was entirely plausible that she had left it open.

But she didn't believe him.

"No," she said, looking back at him. "What are you doing here, then?"

"Let's go," he said, gesturing to the gas pedal. She shook her head devoutly. "Why not?"

"Explain how you got into my car," she demanded. "And what you're doing. Add that."

He exhaled. "Do you remember, Kim? You said we'd have coffee at your house."

"That was a euphemism for sex, dumbass," she said. "And I'm _not_ having sex with you."

"Not on the first date, I figured," he said, climbing up to the passenger seat. "Let's go, darling."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked, growling her words. "This is over the top of what you usually do."

"Didn't we go over this? I don't have social skills," Acacius joked. She simply stared at him. "I'm sorry."

"Fine, we'll go," she relented at the apology. He grinned as she slammed her feet onto the gas. "Look, jackass, I'm not screwing you."

"You're just not looking at me," he explained. "You're focused on something aside from me."

"You're an egotistical maniac," she said, pulling into a gas station. "This would not fly with anyone _but _you. At least your social skills aren't completely lacking." She killed the engine and opened up her billfold. "Alright, go get me gas."

"Are you kidding?" he questioned. Kim shook her head and tossed a fifty to him. "You aren't."

"You break into my car, you get to do what I ask," she explained, crossing her arms and regaining her composure. She was angry. No, she was pissed off. Refusing to look at him, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.

He opened the door and did what she had told him. The frustration built in her chest until it came to a boil and she clawed her nails through her skin on her fists. What was wrong with her? Her boss wasn't that bad, she figured.

Oh, but he was. She came out of work with her stomach in knots.

He hopped back in. "You're good, Kim. Hey, what's wrong?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Nothing except that my stalker is in my car. Don't you have your own?"

"Duh. How else do I show up at your house at all hours?"

"Seriously. This is freaky. I mean, accidentally running into each other at the mall and stuff isn't that big of a deal, but this kind of stuff might _actually_ phase me." She snickered and pulled out of the lot. He stretched back. "How do you know that sort of stuff, anyway?"

He bit his lip. "I'll tell you once we get to your house. Everything."

She raised an eyebrow at the road. "How much of everything?"

"_Everything_."

She let the silence fill the car, mulling over what he was saying. There was definitely mystery about him. Every once in a while he had a scratch on his face or moved awkwardly. Sometimes he disappeared for days at a time. Usually he came out in the evening but she'd seen him in the day.

"Fine," she relented. "But only if it's everything."

"Score," he said quietly, laughing to himself. "Take a right here."

"I know how to get to my own house!" she yelled. He kept laughing.

XX

"You have to give me credit," Jessica Peterson barked at the teller. "I'm Carlos Contender's girlfriend."

"That definitely isn't what he says," the teller said sharply. He was a younger boy with sloppy red hair. "I would know, since we're close friends…"

"Shut up, Raggedy Andy," she snapped. "I need this fucking loan for my hospital bills. God, I need a drink." She rubbed her forearm with her thumb and twitched her fingers nervously. She was on an interesting cocktail of antidepressants and they were making her feel like she was high off of adrenaline. Also they made her have a killer headache whenever the light was above a pitch-black room.

She shut her eyes and rubbed her temples. This was unbearable. On the bright side, she hadn't been drinking or thinking of suicide. She wasn't happier – far from it – but she wasn't sad.

But she really needed a goddamned drink. But she couldn't. But she did.

She hadn't told the doctor that she was usually plastered. Weren't they supposed to know these things? But quitting like this was impossible.

She swayed to the side. Steadying herself on the desk, she kept her eyes closed and forced herself to talk again. "Please. I need to pay this hospital bill. And, preferably, move out of my apartment since the locks are broken since my landlord's a piece of _shit_ – "

"That's not my problem, ma'am. You have no collateral and terrible credit history." She swayed to the side. After going back to ask for her job, they had turned her away. Finally, she'd gone to the local military base. They'd accepted her but only if she quit drinking.

Ergo why she was feeling like absolute shit, begging for a loan.

"Ma'am, are you going to be okay?" the boy asked. She nodded.

"Yeah, just a mo – a moment – "

She felt herself fall backwards and then there was nothing.

XX

Chastity glanced at the box next to her computer in her room. It was sealed. She was not supposed to open it.

The suspense was killing her, though. She ran her fingers through her hair and turned to her computer. There was a page about job openings and school openings. She examined her manicured fingernails as she noticed something odd.

It was an opening in the Law career.

_Bright, forward-thinking young individuals invited to join the exciting path of a lawyer! Being heroic behind the scenes is all it's cracked up to be. Training will be necessary. Contact Archie if you want to hear more. _

Be it an impulse or fate, Chastity opened the notice and read through it. The way it was described… it almost seemed interesting.

She took out her phone and dialed the number, not really thinking about what she was doing. The phone rang…

And rang…

And rang…

And rang…

And rang again. She was about to hit the end key.

"Hello?" a small voice asked. "This is Archibald DeMille. Are you calling about the job?"

She sighed. "Yeah. I saw the ad. I'm not really sure if I'm qualified. Actually, I'm not sure why I called…"

"Oh, wow!" the man said, sounding like a boy on Christmas. "This is… well, I'd love to arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible. Let me just get your name and information down, Mrs.…"

"It's Ms. Gere," she said. "Chastity Gere."

"Well, that's grand. Ms. Gere, I'd love to arrange a meeting with you. Would tomorrow at around five work? We could meet at the coffeehouse near 78th street."

She smiled to herself. That would be cutting it close to work… but leaving early right in front of Armand would be a sight to see.

"Yeah, Mr. DeMille. That'd be great. See you tomorrow." She touched the end button on her phone and put it down.

Smiling to herself, she shook her head and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. What was she getting herself into?

XX

_TL;DR: Isabel's at work and meets Acacius, the police chief's son over a graffiti'd wall. Marcus goes to his first day of school and meets Etsu. We meet Arkadios, Acacius' father. Sam and Gabe flirt and she says she's too busy to sleep over. Ramir is distracted by his baby. Armand bars his daughter from her new friends but she has none of it. Acacius breaks into Kim's car and rides home with her. Jessica blacks out at the bank, sick from antidepressants and alcohol withdrawal. Chastity calls a law firm for work out of the blue. _

_These plot points are all-important. I promise. _

_XX_


	12. Chapter 10: Worth

_A/N: Look up Marissa Cleveland on the wiki and it'll make more sense. The name blurb. And ignore my lack of knowledge about law school. It's magic here. _

Chapter 10: Worth

Kim stepped into her house, dropping her coat and boots by the door. The air inside was cool and the lights were off. A slight blue glow permeated the house.

She exhaled and walked to the thermostat, turning up the heat. "It's kind of cold in here."

"Hasn't your sister been home?" Acacius questioned, taking off his shoes. Kim shook her head.

"Nah, she's been at Gabe's house for a while." Acacius chuckled. "Shut up, you freak!"

"Calm down!" he said, laughing harder as she sighed and motioned to their living room. "Wow, these are weird chairs."

"This is a weird house. Come on, have a seat," she said, flopping into the armchair. It was old and worn and definitely used a lot. Acacius took a seat on the couch. "Alright, you got your… date, now spill."

"This does not constitute a date, Kim," he said patiently. "A date would include something fun along with a kiss goodbye, potentially. This is a trust fall."

She frowned. "You are not falling."

He sighed, giving her an incredulous look. "You take everything too literally. So I'm not falling into you. But by agreeing to tell you a lot of incredibly sensitive information, I am trusting you with my life."

"Way more dramatic than it needed to be," she said. He shook his head, his expression becoming somber.

"Alright. Let me say that I'm sorry for breaking into your car – "

"I knew it!" she said triumphantly. "I don't just leave my doors open."

"Yeah, that's part of it."

"Have you lived here for long?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No, my father came here after the old police chief quit. See, no one knew why he quit any my dad loves a mystery," he explained. "I was a senior when we moved."

"Why didn't you come to school?"

"Homeschooled," he said shortly. "My mother left when I was a kid because of him. He is not a nice man." He sat back, keeping eye contact with Kim.

"What do you mean by not nice? Like, Armand not nice, or…"

"Abusive," he said shortly, smirking. "Just a _touch_, though. Still is, as well."

"You mean – "

"Yeah."

"Well," she said, "that kind of sucks." He nodded. "Still don't understand where you're going with this."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. 'That's how I know where you are. Because he keeps track of everyone."

She frowned. "What do you mean?" He shrugged.

"He keeps tabs on everyone. Figuring out this secret is, like, ridiculously important to him."

She sighed at him. "And what do you do for him?"

He turned and grinned at the wall. "I figured you would figure out. That's why I'm out at weird times. When he wants something done, he contracts me. That's why I'm a friend with everyone around here, like Carlos Contender and Geoff Rutherford along with the police. He has plans with them, although I'm not sure what they are." She nodded. "So that will make my life disruptive."

"Where do you work?" she asked.

"I'm a taxi driver," he replied.

"What's your hometown?"

"Riverblossom," he said shortly.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

He exhaled. "What do you think?"

"It's a legitimate question," she argued, crossing her arms. "I swear, I'm done after this."

"No," he said in a low tone. "Are you done?"

She nodded. "Wait… last one, I promise."

He put his hands up as if to ask what he could do about it.

"Why're you telling me all this? That, and why are you following me?"

He got up and went over to her shelf. It held pictures of their parents and them, different keepsakes, family pets, and trinkets. He picked up a picture of their family and gazed at it.

Turning around, he spoke. "Because you intrigue me. I met you and you were bleeding. Obviously, you're a dangerous girl." She laughed.

"Yeah, and you're the most polite gentleman. I'm not interesting." He put the picture down and lifted himself onto the arm of the chair. She turned to him, frozen by how close he was.

"You most definitely are to me," he said. "However, it doesn't really matter because I'm proving my point. I _told _you that you're attracted to me when you stare at me."

She snapped her head away from him. "Asshole."

"You're _still _proving my point, Cordial," he said, following her to the kitchen. "Alright, so what are we eating?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're such a dick."

"It's all part of my charm. Now how about we have cereal with milk for dinner?" She smirked while rolling her eyes again. It was easier to ignore it when she wasn't looking at him.

XX

It was dark in Jessica's dream.

There were people standing in front of her, behind her, to her side… all of them facing away from her. They were all in suits and ties, it seemed.

She got up and tapped one on the shoulder. It turned around and had the face of her father sewn on. Jessica gasped and backed up into another one. It turned around and had the face of Armand sewn on.

She fell to the ground and started screaming. One was Tara, another was Armand, and one was her mother. The final one was Carlos, but he had a real face on. Jessica screamed some more, shaking uncontrollably as the sewn on people grabbed at her, pulling her up.

Looking at Carlos in terror, she couldn't speak. Her legs were frozen. The people kept their hands on her.

"You're done talking," he declared.

The masked people reached to her mouth and grabbed at it. A strange feeling filled it…

They ripped it off.

"Stop…" she tried to mutter as they faded out. "Don't… don't take my mouth."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the same redheaded boy said. "I'm not taking anything." She rubbed her eyes. The headache was not back. It was okay. She was okay.

Sitting up, she looked over herself. Nothing particularly bad had happened to her, it seemed. "What happened?"

"You passed out," the boy said. "I called an ambulance."

"Shit!" she said. "You can't. I can't... I can't go to the hospital," she said shortly. "Please… call them off. I really can't go back."

"Why not?"

_Money, publicity, and rehab,_ she thought. _All which go back to money._ "Um… I'll get in trouble with my boyfriend."

The boy sighed. "Carlos will be fine with it."

"You don't know shit, kid. I have to go," she said. So she was still screwed. No money for rent or a new apartment, no money for hospital bills, and no way out. She was trapped forever.

She clenched her eyes shut, forcing herself up. _I can do this._

A song echoed in the lobby, some poppy rhythm that made her headache start to return but worse than before. Her hand flew up to the back of her head and came back bloody. "Oh, no," she said, wiping it off on her jeans.

The boy called to her to tell her she needed to stop and go to the hospital. But she kept going, walking into the door.

When she got out, though, she ran into someone else.

"Jessica?" Tara asked. "What're you doing here? And why are you bleeding?"

_This day gets better and better, doesn't it? _Jessica sighed. It was going to be a long night.

XX

The next day, Marissa Cleveland had to meet with her husband in order to get the divorce finalized. To assist her, she had brought her little brother to bargain with her.

"Hey, Martha," he greeted. She frowned at that name. "Oh, yeah, you changed that name." She nodded, her stiff business suit clinging to her figure. Her tailor made sure that every part of her wardrobe fit her perfectly.

Keeping up appearances as the bacon bringer of her family was a difficult task, but she managed it.

"Yeah, let's just go, Geoff," she said gruffly. "That's a story to recount another time."

"Aw, come on, sissy," he said sweetly, the two proceeding into the building. It was the part of the courthouse where paperwork was filed to divorce… or anything else.

"You have the paperwork, right, sissy?" he asked. She nodded. "Good. We wouldn't want to postpone this any further. You have to get away from him."

She sighed. The man she'd actually loved for a considerable amount of time and had a child with didn't ever like her or love her.

That stung.

She continued in, the aching cold of winter and snow stuck on her clothes even as she got inside. It was freezing in Belladonna in the winter, be it because of the area it was in or the fact that big cities seemed to be cold.

Inside it was quiet and clean. It was vaguely threatening, but Marissa embraced it. It kept her on edge.

Seeing her husband, she looked away to Geoff. However, him being the hotheaded kid he was, he was already over to him.

"Who the hell do you think you are, doing this to my sister?" he yelled, clenching his fists and aiming them at his face. Jason's eyes widened but he didn't react further. Marissa knew what he was doing. If Geoff hurt him, there would be serious repercussions as he could spin it as a hate crime.

She leapt up to him and grabbed his arms, pinning them behind his back. "Don't do this, Geoff. He could destroy you. It's a hate crime." She maintained eye contact with Jason, who simply gazed back blankly.

He was always shy. That's what she liked about him.

How could he do this to her?

"Fine, Marissa," Geoff sighed, relaxing. She let him go as the door opened.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland?" the man asked. "We're ready to see you now."

Jason nodded and proceeded in, Marissa and Geoff following.

XX

"So what happened last night?" Tara's friend Zoe questioned. "You weren't answering my texts."

"Oh, I ran into my dad's ex girlfriend," she explained. "She was bleeding so we talked for a bit. I gave her my sweatshirt to stop the bleeding, which sucked because I liked that sweatshirt."

Zoe raised an eyebrow as the math teacher walked in. "What _was _happening?"

"It's insane. She was hospitalized for something and got out. I didn't smell any alcohol on her, which was strange, so she must be trying to clean up, you know? And she was at the bank, so I assume that means financial troubles."

"Why wouldn't it be good?" Zoe asked. Tara shot her a look.

"It's Jessica Peterson. It can't be good. Anyway, she was being pretty nice. She's always been nice to me. Even though she cheated on my dad she was nice enough." Zoe thought that over. "She went home in a taxi after I'd helped to clean her up, so I assume she's okay." There were a clump of people gathered by the window, all looking at something and discussing it. "What's going on here?"

Zoe rolled her eyes, getting up. "I think someone tagged the building across from the school. Let's check it out."

The teacher was desperately trying to get the class's attention but no one heeded him. Everyone was so busy discussing it.

"Kinda looks like that statue in the town," one said. A few agreed but most didn't.

"Either way, it's pretty," someone else continued. Tara and Zoe finally made their way to the window and looked at it.

It wasn't a tag. It was something much more complex than a tag, even if it had been done with spray paint. There was a woman with black hair standing as if she was thinking. She wore a red dress, it looked like, but that was only what Tara assumed because it was only from her shoulders up. Around her was a cloud that looked like a thought bubble. Inside were a giant amount of pictures that weren't completely visible from the window. There were people and objects and landscapes…

"How did anyone do this in one night?" Zoe asked in disbelief. "This is incredible, even if it is a tag."

"It isn't a tag," an artistic girl said. "I'm pretty sure this is a piece of street art. It was well placed for visibility, too – everyone goes by the school at some point." Tara nodded, mesmerized by the piece. "Also, it has a symbol to tell people not to respond. But I doubt anyone would respond…"

A car drove down and a group of people got out. Most of them were dressed in black and had guns at their waist, but one was a man in a blue suit and tie…

"Is that… the mayor?" she asked. Tara squinted and nodded, recognizing the figure. His signature hair, a black and groomed puff, bobbed above the crowd. The man walked up and examined it. Finally, he pulled his phone out and took a picture of it. "What's he doing?"

"Probably deciding how to take care of it," Tara interjected, keeping her eye on the people. "I hope they don't take it down."

Zoe nodded. "Definitely."

XX

"I can't," Acacius said, leaning against the wall and making eye contact with everything but his father. "I have a prior engagement."

"That's not my issue," his father said monotonously. "My engagements with you come first."

Acacius sighed and shook his head. "You don't understand. It's with…"

Looking up at his father finally, he stopped. Telling him that he had friends would be an invitation to track them. Not telling him, although he wouldn't react to it, would make him insanely curious.

But they weren't involved in anything bad… were they?

He had to make his decision quickly – give up his plans without an explanation or tell him he had friends? He wasn't supposed to have friends. Never was allowed to have them.

The better question was whether any of them were actually his friends. He wanted Kim to be his friend – heck, he'd take anything – but his sister and their friends?

"I…"

"Yes, Acacius?" he asked expectantly.

Acacius sighed, defeated. "I'll cancel it," he said. Arkadios smiled and turned, walking to the stairwell. Acacius stayed anchored to the ground.

He turned around. "I'm sorry, aren't you coming?"

Acacius nodded and followed him downstairs, his stomach sinking. Kim might be mad at him for this.

Who was he kidding? She'd be insane about it.

XX

Kim walked in, her disposition soured by the lack of Acacius, who she had invited, and saw that Sam and Gabe were already at each other's side. Chastity was sitting on a different couch, smirking at Kim walking in.

"What got into you?" she asked. "You look like someone just killed your sister. Which, looking at her, she's just fine."

Kim took a seat next to her. "Nah, just a friend I invited. He never showed up."

"Friend, huh? You mean that hot blonde number. I haven't seen him except at parties. He doesn't really talk to me. But his eyes are on you like a sailor who's been at sea for months."

She blushed and rolled her eyes. "Sure he does. I just wish he had told me. But he never gives me his number."

"Do you ask for it?" Chastity asked, paging through a book on her lap. She shrugged.

"We don't talk about that sort of stuff. It's truly infuriating. What are you reading?" Chastity slammed it shut and placed it on the other side of her. "Hey! You grill me on my life. I should at least be able to know what you're reading."

"Law book," she said. "I've decided to take this crash course from this guy named Archie." She handed the book to her friend. Kim began to look through it.

"Wow… this is pretty advanced. What made you decide to do law school?" Chastity shrugged. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her outfit was comfortable. Kim's was, as well, but Chastity had an affinity for the different and interesting like outfits and hair.

Kim took her hair out of her ponytail. It was too short to be styled like that, really. She'd kept her hair short while her sister had grown hers out a little. It looked pretty on her…

Sam was prettier than her, most people had apparently decided. Kim didn't care – she had gotten more boys than her sister simply because she was a slut in high school – but it bothered her to some degree.

Not that she'd admit it.

"Well… it was kind of a spur of the moment thing," she said. "I saw an ad online and thought it sounded like a good idea." Kim smiled and nodded. "The guy seemed nice enough. I asked about my total lack of schooling and he told me he could get me a degree and get me through the exam in record time."

Kim nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Is the stuff hard?"

She shrugged. "Seems manageable enough. I mean, it's a great thing to be learning since the office job is as boring as hell. Also, Armand's a douche."

Sam decided to enter their conversation. "I don't know if he's a douche…" Gabe pushed his arm across her back and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Princess, he's a jerk," he said. She shrugged and he squeezed her shoulder. Chastity nodded, confirming the decision that he was, in fact, a jerk. "But he hasn't gotten the chance to bother you so you're perfectly fine."

Chastity and Kim glanced at each other, rolling their eyes at the two. "So, you guys, are you about to screw or what?"

Sam blushed furiously and Gabe shot Chastity a look. He mouthed something at her that Kim didn't quite catch as he hugged her head into his arm. Kim elbowed Chastity and asked what he said.

"Shut up," she replied, winking. "It has a double meaning, see."

"I realized," she said dryly. "Sam, it's okay. We all know about your sex life."

"Stop it!" she shouted into his sleeve. Kim chuckled and got up to the kitchen. Tapping her sister's head, Sam finally got up. "I hate you guys."

"We love you too, Sam," Chastity called as she got up after Kim.

She opened up the refrigerator and her hand wavered over the alcohol. Deciding against it, remembering what Acacius said, and grabbed water instead. She raised it to her mouth and took a drink.

"Alright," Sam said, hopping up on the kitchen counter. "Where's your plus one to our hang out?"

Kim set it on the counter opposite of her and hopped up. "I don't know."

"That's why you were an hour late? Waiting for him? What's his deal, anyway?" she asked, crossing her arms. She looked incredible in a pair of jeans and a sweater. Kim, on the other hand…

"Yeah, I don't know," she said. "He usually shows up like clockwork at six if I have the day off and nine if I don't."

She chuckled. "You know his schedule and he knows yours. It's cute."

Kim shook her head. "It isn't even like that. I have _no idea _about him, what he does in the day. All I know is that he drives a taxi and he's from Riverblossom and he really likes the color gray."

"You don't know anything about him, then?" she asked suspiciously. Kim shrugged and took another drink of water. "It doesn't sound like it."

"Whatever. He's still not here. He still ditched me."

"And you don't like him whatsoever," Sam affirmed. Kim nodded, biting her lip. "I think you're lying to me. To your sister?"

"Well…"

"Ha!" Sam declared, hopping off the counter. "I told you that you do. Make a move, sister."

Kim walked after her sister and caught her arm. "Are you going to sleep over tonight?"

Sam thought it over. "Should I? I mean… he wanted to yesterday and I said no because I thought you wanted – "

"Don't think about me. I'm perfectly fine. I have a stalker to make sure I'm fine. Do you want to?"

Sam shrugged. "If you – "

"Stop talking about me, Sam. Talk about you."

Sam considered the decision and nodded tentatively.

"Great. Then I'll go home and see if I can talk to him."

"Or kiss him," she suggested.

"Shut up, Sam. Knowing him and if it was a legitimate mistake, he'll show up. If it was on purpose I can forget about him." She left her sister in the kitchen, returning to the couch. Sam bounced right by her, wanting to keep talking. "Leave it, Sam," she warned.

"You have to make the move, Kim. You need to be happy."

"Think of who you're talking about, Sam," she reminded her. "He's consistently demeaning towards me."

"Duh, because he likes you," she said, rolling her eyes as if it was obvious. Chastity leaned over, curious as to what they were talking about.

Gabe moved to Sam's side. He lifted her onto his lap and rested his head on her shoulder.

"What are we talking about here?" Chastity asked, closing her book. "Is this Kim's love life?"

"Nonexistence would be a prime word to use here," Kim said smartly. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. The short part in the front was in her eyes regardless of how she pulled it back. "I don't have a boyfriend."

Chastity laughed. "Neither do I but I still manage to get laid. So you're the odd one out, Kimmy." She sighed. She took a drink of water and leaned back.

"Always was. No one really likes _me_."

Gabe frowned. "That's not true, Kim. We like you. Armand likes you enough."

Chastity gave him a look. "Was that the best example you could come up with?" she asked, tossing her law book at him. "You're stupid sometimes."

Sam leaned into his arm and he ran his hand down her side, pulling her closer. Kim kept them in her peripheral. She was a little jealous, as much as she hated to admit it. Not of Gabe – he was way too quiet and reserved for her like – but she wanted someone who liked her.

"Well, she also has her coworkers – "

"Bullshit!" Kim shouted, grinning. "They are what make my life miserable. Along with my boss, of course." Sam cringed. She knew how Kim's boss was to her. They talked after it every night, usually when Kim was near tears because of it…

Gabe laughed quietly and slowly rubbed his girlfriend's shoulder. "Other people like you, though. I promise that you're not hated."

He was right, but that wasn't what she wanted.

"You're missing someone really important, baby," Sam said, looking up to him. "Acacius really likes her."

"Oh! Duh," he said. "Yeah, he looks at you like you're the Mona Lisa." The other two nodded in agreement. "Why doesn't he come over? You've invited him, right? He seems like a nice enough guy. Sarcastic as heck, but I'm used to Chastity." She nodded at him with a smirk.

"I did," she said shortly. Sam closed her eyes. "He hasn't accepted yet."

They nodded. "Still, kind of weird. Seems social enough but… disjointed," Chastity said. Kim nodded. "Anyway, we should do something. This night is boring."

Kim smiled. "I have an idea. We should play monopoly and see who gets pissed the fastest and throws up the board."

"I love violent monopoly!" Chastity laughed. Gabe got up to get the board.

Kim sighed. He and Sam were always on a team. So they always won. The point?

Kim sucked at this game.

XX

Jason Cleveland went to his new apartment. It had been freshly bought. There was a bed and some boxes he hadn't unpacked yet. It was comfortable enough.

All he was missing was his son.

They hadn't agreed to anything about him yet. That was the unfortunate part. Justin had always had a better relationship with his father but that could be different now that… what he was… had come out.

Jason sighed and reclined onto his bed. It was a tiny place but as he'd read, it had the appropriate amount of bedrooms for a kid. That was the only room that was done up. There were two – albeit incredibly miniscule – bedrooms and appropriate amount of living space. He had a steady job – albeit a bad one – and it provided more than enough money for rent and food and utilities and everything else…

He'd never been one to live beyond his means.

His son hadn't talked to him since he was kicked out. But… it was strange how he missed him. It was like there was a hole missing.

But there was nothing to do about it.

He pulled out the newest fantasy novel that had been released. It had been interesting to read so far and he was looking forward to finishing it…

_Bang. Bang. Bang. _

Jason frowned. Was someone knocking at his door? No one had his address. The guy who he'd hooked up with had left the second that Marissa found out, leading him to believe he was set up. It didn't matter, though.

He got up and nudged some slippers onto his feet. His loungewear was a T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants and it clung to his fit frame well. But at this hour he didn't care, throwing on a robe.

Stumbling to the door, he rubbed his eyes and opened it.

"Damn, don't you have a doorbell or something?" the kid asked. Jason frowned. Why was his son at the door?

"Um… Justin?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, well, you see, my mom kind of never came back? She said she'd be home and there's no food in the house and I don't know how to do the thermostat." He motioned to his arm, where he wore a winter coat. "So… can I sleep here?"

Jason motioned inside. The boy walked in and looked around. "Wow, this place isn't half bad!"

"Marissa – your mother – she never came home?" he asked, closing the door. He nodded, glancing around the kitchen. "I… is there any reason for that?"

"Nah. I figured that she went out with Uncle Geoff. But still, I can't sleep there."

Jason knew that he very well could. There had to be something else.

"And… I miss you, dad," he said. "I can't deal with mom's ranting about you and her silence and her berating me for my grades." He threw his hands in the air. "I miss talking about science fiction and stupid things and goofing off."

Jason grinned. "That's what dads are for, right?" he said, putting a hand on his son's back. "If you want food, I've got some stuff in the cupboards and the fridge. I also made up a room for you. See, if I ever wanted custody, I'd need it, so I made you a room."

He cringed. "I hate that custody word. Makes me feel like an object."

"Sorry. So, do you want to talk? Have any cute girls you've got your eye on?"

Justin frowned, mulling over that. "It's a secret. Will you keep it that way?" he questioned. Jason extended his hands.

Performing their secret handshake, he grinned. "Always, Justin."

XX

Kim got home late after – expectantly – flipping the board of monopoly over. They'd parted on good terms but Kim didn't feel good. In fact, she felt terrible.

She pulled into the driveway and immediately wanted to warm up. It was too cold outside for this late at night and she was tired. But there was work tomorrow and she had that to think over while in bed.

Stepping into her living room, she kicked off her shoes and hung her jacket on a hook. She turned up the thermostat. Then she walked upstairs, her muscles aching. She didn't even know why.

She took off her clothes and put on a sweatshirt and some sweatpants. Walking to the bathroom, she brushed out her hair and brushed her teeth before wiping off her makeup and walking back out.

"You're a son of a bitch," she said before falling into bed to go to sleep.

XX

_TL;DR: Kim and Acacius talk about his history. Jessica wakes up and runs into Tara. Marissa and Geoff walk into the courthouse to discuss hearings for divorce. Tara and Zoe are at school and notice a giant piece of wall art across the street. Acacius is kept home by his father. Kim, Gabe, Sam, and Chastity have a fun night together. Jason has his new apartment and Justin comes by. Kim gets home safely. _

_Thanks, as always, for reading! _

XX


	13. Chapter 11: Amor

_A/N: Blast of a chapter. Ha, not really. It _will _pick up, I promise._

_Without further ado. _

Chapter 11: Amor

"Field trips are awesome," Sally said to Sofia as they sat on the bus. "Especially when unannounced."

Sofia nodded enthusiastically. The two sat right beside each other on the way to city hall to do some sort of art project. Neither of them was upset about it.

Well, Sunny was upset.

"My art on display? But… what if it's terrible? Oh, who am I kidding, it'll be terrible!" she complained. Sally shook her head.

"Don't worry, Sally. You can color in some stuff I draw." The girl perked up. Claire shook her head disapprovingly, her long blue coat discarded to the side. "What is it, Claire?"

"I just don't think that these sort of projects need chances taken, you know? We need to get this planned and executed."

The bus stopped and the teacher smiled at them. "Don't worry, kids. There's already an outline drawn and you just have to color it in and design the spots as it says. There's even a guide and some police officers here to make sure it's okay. Don't worry," the teacher reaffirmed. The girls nodded. "Alright, kids. We are going to all SIT DOWN until I tell you to get up. SIT DOWN, Pierce. SIT. Okay. So the plan is that we will all get a paintbrush and some paint will be set out. You will all be assigned a part of the mural and you can color it in the basic color. Then you get to design over it in black or white. If you need help, I'm sure Sally can give you a hand. Does everyone understand?"

A chorus of 'yes' responded. "Alright. Now have at it! But in an orderly line, and the helpers outside will assign you an area…"

The girls were already up, leading the pack of fifth and sixth graders off of the bus and to the paints.

A man with blonde hair in a gray coat greeted them. "Hey. So we're doing this mural and you guys get to fill stuff in. Um… who should I have volunteer, Mr. Smith?"

The teacher pointed to Sally and Sofia. He handed them each a large and a small brush and pointed to two different colors of paint. The girls walked up to them obediently and dipped the big brushes in.

"Alright, here are your two spots," he said, pointing to two consecutive spots towards the bottom. "Pinky, you get the left. Green, you get the right." The two smiled. Sally loved pink and wore it in her coat and Sofia loved green and had it in her hair. "So paint that in well. It should take around three seconds if you're bad at painting."

The kids laughed as the girls painted. They smiled at each other.

"Alright, you're done. Put the big brush on the top of the paint bucket like this," he said, demonstrating. "Now take your little brush and remember this rule: the warm colors get white and the cool colors get black. The thing about the designs is that you get the freedom with them but if you mess up, they aren't visible from the road. So pinky, what color do you do?"

"White," she said, pointing to the red brush she put back.

"And green?"

"I use black," she said, setting down the purple brush she'd used.

"Alright, have at it. Now, you, ginger girl, you can have the tan one to the left of pinky. And you, blondie, you can have the one above it…"

As he assigned spots, the two continued painting. "I can't believe we're painting on a wall." Sofia nodded at Sally as they swirled their brushes around designs.

"We'll be around forever!" she chimed in.

XX

Isabel Baldwin crossed her arms, spectating the children paint the wall. Shannon sipped a cup of coffee next to her.

"This is a sight to see," she said, watching her daughter. "I saw my son last night. He was excited about his new friend, Etsu."

"Into girls already?" Shannon asked. "That's interesting."

"It had better not be like that or he's never going to school again," she threatened. The two smiled. "What do you think of Katsaros?"

"Terrifying," Shannon says. The man turned and stared at the two. "Isn't the kid his son?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Acacius or something. He's kind of cute, don't you think?"

Shannon exhaled. "I'm sure. But whatever happened with his dad is really bothering him. See? Right there. Whenever he looks over, he kind of wilts."

"All I see is the glaring back," Isabel interjected.

"Look at his posture," he said. "He falls when he's stared at. Also he walks like his shoulder is burdening him. And like he's sore. What's that?"

"Maybe he works out," Isabel suggested.

"I'm hearing a lot of excuses," he said. "Something isn't adding up here, is all." She shrugged and returned her attention to the kids. "Let's make him into a kid since he lives at home."

"Ooh, I love playing games! How old?"

"Senior. So he comes into school with a pain in his arm. You don't know he's done anything to hurt it. He also looks incredibly sore. Whenever his father's around he acts like a kicked puppy. What do you think?" Shannon asked.

Isabel rolled her eyes. "I think that's a stupid game. His father is _not_ abusive towards him."

But looking at him, Isabel wasn't so sure herself.

XX

Ramir had taken the day off per his advisor's discretion. He had laid around with his wife and Lila for part of the day but he couldn't stay away from that piece of graffiti.

What did it mean? He'd seen the name of the town written in the background. And that woman looked so familiar. It was insane how he was obsessing but he couldn't stay away.

"Honey," Ana said, coddling the baby in the crook of her arm. "Take her for a second. I have to go to the bathroom."

He accepted the baby and touched her tiny forehead. A good crop of hair was already growing. The headband around her head had a purple bow. It was perfect for her little face.

Whenever he saw her, he was falling in love all over again.

Ana returned and smiled at him. "What're you thinking about, babe?" He shrugged, bouncing the baby.

"I just saw something while at work that's bothering me," he said. "We had two tags on the wall. The kids in the region are covering one up. The other one… I'm not sure if it's even related to the entire dog in politics campaign. But it's beautiful and I'm keeping it up until it needs to be taken down."

Ana nodded and reached out to touch Lila's forehead. "What does it look like?"

"There's this woman with black hair and a red dress and she's thinking of a ton of things… I have a picture of it," he said, taking out his cell phone and finding the picture. Ana stared at it for a moment and frowned.

"She looks strikingly familiar, but I don't know who she is," she said, confused. Ramir nodded.

"That's what I think!" The baby cooed as it woke up. "Alright, who needs some food?"

Both Lila and Ana answered at the same time. He laughed, getting up with Lila and heading to the fridge.

XX

Frances worried a lot.

For example, she was worrying at that moment.

Didn't Kimberly deserve someone? She'd always been the sadder twin, especially in high school. They'd fought and fought until their parents died.

Frances had kept her eye on them. They were perfect contenders. Phoebe had pointed that out. But they were unassuming and had their own little lives and… They had no idea.

Firefights were nothing that was strange to her. When she was growing up, her and her sister had fought. Her and her mother had fought. Her and her classmates had fought.

Not that she liked it. She hated fighting. But people liked fighting with her.

She'd always been the smallest. Youngest in classes, smallest in her family… but she was feisty and headstrong. It came with the red hair, most said. Her sister was always the worst about it, making fun of her for how small she was and how stupid she was.

"_Dumb little kid," _she'd say. _"You don't deserve it._"

And she believed it.

Since the kids were painting, she had taken the opportunity to find Sally's book. It was at the school. She'd made sure no one could see her and crept into the school. It was on her desk, lying open to a certain page.

She glanced around to make sure no one was there. And then she picked it up. The picture it was open to… disturbed her.

It was the same scene as she had seen before, the one where her and Phoebe were fighting with her and her friend watching. But this time she'd changed some things. There was a scene now – a street – and there was a large assembly right on the other side of an alley.

She flipped back and saw a person who looked like Phoebe without a face standing over someone who looked dead. There was a knife in his chest and blood soaking through. In the background, Sally and her friend were watching with horrified expressions.

_What is this? _Frances flipped back further. There was a picture of a woman without a face in a red dress with long black hair standing next to the giant statue in the town. Then there was a picture of the mayor's podium standing empty with people in a panic.

She flipped back to the very beginning. There was a picture of a wedding, a picture of a little girl who was talking with another little boy, a redheaded woman with a face that looked remarkably like Sofia talking with a man that looked like her father, and a police badge.

"All of these… they're coming true," she whispered, placing it back on the desk after seeing what looked like a family portrait of her family along with another kid.

On the very back cover there was a last picture. She looked at that and saw three graves side by side without names.

"Three people are going to die," she said. "But she doesn't know which three."

She put it down in horror, figuring out which three were probably going to die.

Hearing a commotion from down the hall, she put the book down and made herself invisible. She walked out before anyone could see her.

Soon, Frances reconciled, either she or Kim was going to die.

XX

After work, Chastity went to do her delivery job. The directions were given to her that morning and she was told to follow through at four. If she executed her plan perfectly, she would have time for her class with Archie.

He was… he was an interesting man. He was hard to describe.

She took the elevator downstairs and found her car. The box was in the back seat. Taking off, she headed toward the seedy area of town right outside of her house.

It was hitting too close to home, sure, but it was money. Money for rent, money for stuff, and money for whatever else she wanted.

She parked outside of the warehouse where she had been directed to go. She looked for who she was supposed to drop it off with – she was told that they looked seedy and had red tattoos – but she didn't spot them.

There were three guys sitting on a ledge outside of it smoking something that looked illegal. Chastity had zero knowledge of drugs, though, so she made the assumption that it was just a cigarette.

She got out and sat on the hood of her car, waiting. The guys laughed and pointed at her. She ignored them.

"Yo, rebel slut!" one of them yelled. "You a prostitute or what?"

She crossed her arms and pulled her phone out. "You a business woman? Sure are in seedy territory for that," another called. The third made a catcall. "Whoa, you're into that?"

"Are you guys taggers or just dumbasses?" she shouted. They perked up at that and Chastity put down her phone. "So you _are_ taggers."

"Nah, we're dumbasses too," one said. The three jumped off and walked toward her. Chastity squinted. They had black and red tattoos.

"I see," she said. "So you're the three taggers that Carlos told me to give the box of supplies I have."

They snorted. "Sure. Carlos definitely told you, just like he tells me what to tag. Our mastermind is just like us but a little higher up, pretty girl."

Chastity smirked. "Alright. Give me your proof and you can have the box," she said. The leader reached into his pocket and materialized a piece of paper. It was printed. He handed it to her. She opened it and read over it.

_Geoff Rutherford hereby gives the Street Artists of Belladonna permission to assign these three men to do the next propaganda piece. _

"Seems legit," she said, smirking and walking to the back of the car. "Alright, here." She opened her back door and lifted the box up to give to the leader. "Not sure what's in here but I hope it'll do you good."

The leader winked at her and lifted it to give to the other boys. "Thanks, business lady. I hope they give us good people like these instead of those bums who steal half of our supplies."

Chastity nodded. "Glad to do business with you boys."

As she unlocked the door, they walked away. _Good,_ she thought. _Glad I can get rid of you boys. _

XX

Acacius was impatient at his father. After he had directed the children on how to paint he was planning on leaving. But his father had put a hand on his shoulder and guided him to his car.

Then he'd taken him to his house. Acacius had his own apartment. But he was out so much that it wasn't very established.

There, he'd had him run statistics on all of the big Belladonna stocks. It was incredibly boring to him but arguing was stupid.

"I'm done," he announced. It was already evening. "Can I go home now?"

"You haven't worked out today," his father said, not looking up from his work. "So no. You have two hours due."

Acacius wanted to scream at him how stupid that was, but he didn't. "I have plans."

His father looked up. "With who?"

_I hate you, _he thought bitterly, wringing his hands. "Can I work out tomorrow?"

"You have work tomorrow. So no."

"Please, dad. Let me go," he begged. His father looked up.

He got up from his computer and stood up to his son. Acacius was taller than Arkadios but he wouldn't fight back. That was one thing that he hated in his son. He hated to fight.

"I'll give you an hour for dinner and then you can make up that time tonight."

That was ridiculously unfair, Acacius thought, but he didn't protest. He looked to the side, dejected, but unwilling to argue.

"Hour and a half. I want to run home as well," he said, buying him some time.

"Fine. But you get to make it two extra hours."

That would work him well into midnight. But he asked so he couldn't complain. "Okay."

His father returned to his computer. "Ninety minutes. Time is ticking."

Acacius knew that his father was a smart man. He would make sure his son lost any friends he had by breaking his plans.

He had already probably inferred it was a girl. But he didn't know which one. He would probably never pick Kim simply because they hung out with Gabe, and his house was where he forbade him from going.

His car was outside of his father's house. He'd been able to convince his father to let him get that. So he got in the old beater and began driving to his house.

He _had _to see Kim. If he couldn't explain what had happened he had no chance with her.

That is, if he wanted a chance. If he deserved a chance.

He sighed and pulled out his identification. It gave him a different first name, the one his mother had given him, and her last name. Two different identities, and he preferred the one his father had given him.

"Stupid," he said out loud when he pulled into his driveway. "Why don't I make good decisions?"

He ran up the stairs to his apartment and forced his key in the lock. He got in and saw his living room. It was well decorated and aesthetically pleasing because he'd decorated it out of a catalogue.

"Stupid," he repeated, flicking on the lamp. It was more like a hotel than an apartment. He walked to his kitchen and got a bottle of water. Chugging it and rustling through the rest of the cabinets for something to eat, he finished it in one continuous drink.

He'd need it for what he would have to do next. Four hours was going to kill him. He was not a machine and he wasn't made for working out. He was suited for doing tactical work like his mother.

Acacius found a takeout menu for the nearest Chinese place and got his phone out. He'd go and get it and then try and find Kim.

But was she working that night?

Shit. She was.

He closed his eyes. She got off late, but not in his timeframe. She got off at nine. But he was expected back at seven thirty.

"Goddamn it," he muttered, putting his phone down. "I'll find her tomorrow." He refilled his water bottle at the sink.

He didn't want to wait, though.

Acacius had never been a patient man.

XX

Tara and her friends were at Justin's dad's house. He had gotten them clearance and they were helping to unpack.

"I don't know how I can thank you guys," Jason said, smiling at Tara. Justin nodded as he and Tara worked on a box together. "Especially you Justin. You managed to get all of your friends together…"

"Yeah, well that's what mom gets for not coming home. I was there today before school and she wasn't there. No note, no nothing."

Zoe and Simon were setting up an end table for a bedroom. "That's strange," Simon commented. "She isn't like that. Is she, Mr. Cleveland?"

Jason shook his head. Tank and Ripp had found a football and Tank was pelting his brother with it. "Put that down!" Justin said. They laughed and tossed it to him.

"They're doing it before the lamps go up, son. They can have fun." Zoe popped up from the end table.

"We could play tag football or something," she commented. Jason smiled at her and clapped his son on the shoulder.

"Alright. I can referee. We can use the parking lot; it's mostly empty this early."

Justin stood up. "Wait, seriously? You'd let us just ditch unpacking?"

"Sure, son. Anything for my prized football… wait. I was a terrible football player," he joked. "Come on, kids. We'll have Tara, Justin, and Tank versus Zoe, Simon, and Ripp."

"Awesome," Tara whispered to Justin. He pecked her forehead and they walked out.

XX

Sam picked Kim up from work.

"What're you doing here? I need to get my car," she complained. Then she realized that they shared a car. Sam smiled. "And why are you in your pajamas? Oh, no, don't tell me…"

"Sleepover!" she exclaimed. Kim groaned and buried her head in her hands. "I figured you could use some time with your best sister ever."

"That, or I could use some torture. Depends on how you look at it," she said. "I don't want to do this." Sam started driving and she sulked.

"It'll be fun. We can eat popcorn and ice cream and watch movies."

"Do you have work off tomorrow?" she questioned her sister. Sam shrugged.

"So what if I don't? I'll recover. You really need a girls' night," she said, taking a turn. Kim pouted at the night.

When they got home, Sam pointed up the stairs. "Get on some pajamas and I'll start making popcorn. Then you can tell me about Acacius." She spun on her heel into the kitchen.

Kim walked upstairs and into her room. She opened her dresser and pulled out some comfortable pajamas.

She took off her uniform and threw it into the hamper. She would wash it tomorrow. Now, though, she pulled on her sweatshirt and her pajama pants.

Sam was already on the couch with the remote in her hand. "Soap operas and junk food make anything better."

"Why do you assume that I'm sad? I told you that I didn't care about him."

"Yeah, but you're full of shit," she said, jumping up and to the kitchen. "We have ice cream." Kim followed her.

"Wow, you really stocked up," she said, looking at the plastic bags full of food. "You went all out."

"I keep leaving you to be with Gabe. It isn't fair," she said, hopping onto the door and pulling out ice cream. "Do you still like chocolate?"

"Duh," Kim said, smiling at her. "Is _Pleasant_ on?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "I made sure of that. It's not a sleepover without the Pleasant sisters." She handed the chocolate to her sister. "Let's share, Kim. It'll be great. And the popcorn's almost done, too."

"Do you want me to get fat?" she asked, giggling as the two returned to the living room. The recap of the last episode was on and they flopped down on the couch.

"See, this isn't so bad," Sam said, taking a spoon of the ice cream. "Alright, now talk. What happened with him?"

She sighed. "I don't know. Truly, he just ditched. And I'm not all that broken up over it."

Sam frowned. "And he's never given you a number or an address or anything?" Kim shook her head. "That's strange. He seems nice enough."

She nodded. "Yeah, he's okay. Kind of mean – "

"Remember in elementary school. There was that horrible Ricky kid and he was so mean to you. Remember?"

Kim smiled and nodded. "I remember him. I hated that kid."

"In high school, he turned into Richard and he was your second boyfriend. It turned out he just had a giant crush on you but wasn't mature enough to figure it out." Kim frowned. "Maybe Acacius is the same way."

"That was Richard? Weird," she said. "Anyway, it might be. But I can't tell if he likes me, so it doesn't matter, right?"

"Wrong. He definitely likes you. Don't be stupid, Kim. I would bet he has something going on with his life. It's nothing against you. You guys just need to talk." Kim thought over that. Sam, in turn, took a bite of ice cream. "God, this is good."

"Yeah," Kim said. "So how are you and Gabe?" Sam blushed. "Since you're sleeping over every other night."

"Sorry!" she exclaimed.

_In Pleasantview, a soap opera writes itself… feuding twins, cheating parents, affairs, deaths, and mysteries, it just isn't a Pleasant Life all the time, now is it? _

"The intro is so cheesy," Kim complained. "Is he…?"

"He's fine," she said darkly. "Can we drop it?"

Kim glared at her sister. "You dragged me to grill me on a guy I barely even know. The least I can do is assure your safety with your boyfriend."

Sam sighed. Kim noticed that her usually perfected hair was in a simple ponytail, and she was in her worst pajamas. She was really trying here. Perhaps she knew that Kim was jealous.

"He's… I promise you he's fine. We talk so much. We laugh a ton, too. It's a perfectly healthy relationship." Kim smiled and took the ice cream from her. "I'll try and find Acacius for you."

"I hope you're kidding," she said. "There's Angela. I feel so bad for her. She's expected to be perfect." Sam raised her eyebrow at Kim.

"Are you kidding? Lilith is the one who _I _feel bad for. No one understands her!"

XX

Phoebe was at a loss. Whenever she saw Kim, she felt that she was enamored with someone. At the very least, there was a giant crush. But whenever she tried to get a reading on it, it went away.

"GODDAMN IT!" she screamed, trying again. She closed her eyes, but all she could pick up was that the person was blonde. "What's his deal?"

It hit her. Someone had blocked her. A witch…

Frances didn't know who it was, either. She'd already searched through her since she had claimed her. There was their power struggle. It was between good and evil, but the two used both powers. It was simply about balance.

When Frances used her powers, it tipped into Phoebe's favor. When Phoebe used her powers, it tipped into Frances' favor. The problem was their dispositions.

Phoebe was inherently bad. Frances was inherently good. With most high witches, it was the opposite. But they were a special case.

So there was another player. But who was it?

She tried to search again. She ran into the blonde hair and…

A signature?

She backed up as something materialized in the room. A hologram of a woman with long blonde hair appeared. She smirked and waved at Phoebe and disappeared.

"What the legitimate fuck?" she said at the whispers of what was left of her. "Why was there…" It was a signature. Someone had blocked this kid from witches and signed their name on it. The problem was that the signature was fuzzed out as if it didn't exist anymore.

Thinking about it, Phoebe realized that the woman seemed distinctly dead. Perhaps…

She needed to consult a dictionary of witches and quickly.

XX

Ramir was on his computer. It was incredibly late. He had searched the image from his phone and was scrolling through the results. It was mostly just the same picture – people were posting it everywhere, referring to it as a modern phenomenon – but there were some relevant images.

She sure was a beautiful woman. He thought that she was reminiscent of his wife.

His knowledge of Latin sometimes helped him work stuff out. Maybe something would click if he translated some things.

"Speciosam Palmarius in muris Belladonna," he said. "Murius Belladonna. Bella… donna… Latin goes to French. French is close to Spanish."

"Honey!" he shouted suddenly. "Honey!"

"Yes, dear? It's eleven at night," she said, wiping her eyes.

"What does Belladonna mean in Spanish?" she asked.

"Bella's beautiful. Donna could be doña, which means Mrs." She walked over and rubbed her hands on his chest. "Now can you come to bed?"

He scribbled the words down and vowed to look for it tomorrow.

"You know, Lila's asleep for the first time in a long time," she whispered, pulling him into a hug. "And a little girl would have to be pretty tired after staying up for those long nights."

"Really," he commented, smoothing her hair onto her back. "And what does that mean for me?"

"It means I want more kids," she said deviously. "And I'm pretty sure you know what that means."

XX

Isabel came home late. Benjamin was at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

"Honey – "

"Save it," he said. "I'm too tired for this." He got up and walked off to their room. Isabel followed him.

"Benjamin," she said, pulling him into a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. We had a run in with some kids who were out too late and – I'm really sorry."

He sighed. "I forgive you, Isabel. But you're missing your kids' lives. I know that you want to live your dreams, but… they deserve better."

"You do, too," she muttered into his neck. "I'll do better. I'll refuse to do anything after four."

Benjamin frowned and turned around. "It doesn't work that way, does it?" he asked. She shook her head. "We can work this out, Isa. I won't give up on you." She pulled away.

"Give up? Is that what you think I'm doing?" Benjamin cringed and shook his head. "I am _working,_ Benjamin. I am making money for our family so we can move out of this apartment and to a good house in the suburbs. It's for Sofia and it's for Marcus… Do you not understand that?"

"I know, but there still needs to be time for family. This apartment is not the worst thing in the world."

"Our children have to share a room, Benjamin. That is no life!"

"Calm down, Isabel – "

"Don't tell me to calm down!" she shouted. "I love you, Benjamin, but sometimes, you are completely clueless."

"And you have any right to tell me that? You missed your son's first day of school. Sofia has been put into an honor's program with her friend Sally. Your son made a new friend, and you're missing all of that?" he yelled. Isabel remembered whom they were arguing about as Sofia walked in.

"Mom, dad, stop yelling," she said tiredly. "Marcus is worried about it."

"Thank you, sweetie," Isabel said, walking over and kissing her forehead. "We'll be quieter. I'm sorry I woke you." She nodded and walked away.

They turned to each other. "I'm sorry," they said in unison.

"Take a shower," he said softly. "And then we can go to sleep, okay?"

Isabel nodded. "Tú eres un idiota, pero te amo," she muttered as she removed her clothes and stepped into the shower."

XX

_TL;DR: Sally and Sofia go on a field trip to cover up graffiti. Isabel and Shannon discuss the new cop, Acacius Katsaros. Ramir and Ana discuss the graffiti. Frances realizes that Sally's predictions are legit. Chastity delivers her supplies to some boys before going to her law school. Acacius' father doesn't let him go for sufficient amount of time. Justin and his friends help his father unpack and they go outside to play football. Sam and Kim have a girl's night and talk about boys. Phoebe is unable to figure out who Kim's love interest is. Ramir tries to figure out the mystery behind the graffiti but his wife interrupts him. Isabel and Benjamin blow up at each other but calm down and admit that they really do love each other – in Spanish. _

_Gracias por leer. _

XX


	14. Chapter 12: Thinly Veiled Death Threats

_A/N: Prep for the last chapter of transitioning. Also bear with me. I'm sick and addicted to The Walking Dead as of now. _

Chapter 12: Thinly Veiled Death Threats

Kim's hands rested on her stomach as she woke up early. It was a pleasant winter day. She got up and dressed in a black sweater and jeans. Sam was probably already gone.

_Ding dong._

Who the hell was at the door at this hour?

She stumbled downstairs and glanced at the mess she would get to clean up. Surprisingly, she wasn't upset about having to clean it up. It had been fun with her sister, watching soap operas and eating. They reminisced about high school and their parents, talked about their jobs, and laughed their heads off at jokes they had made.

It had been fantastic. But it was over and now she had to sober up.

She opened the door. "We don't – "

"Kimberly Cordial," her boss said. She'd never learned his name. "I'm firing you."

"Okay," she said, her stomach boiling. "Thanks." She attempted to close the door but he caught it with his foot. "What?"

"I need to come inside, Ms. Cordial," he said roughly. She scowled and opened the door. "Thank you."

"Whatever," she muttered, walking to the living room. "Why did you need to come in?"

He chuckled. "Lazy bitch, I didn't need to. You're just stupid."

"Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit. Now that you fired me I don't need your fucking insults," Kim shot back. She was done. He simply smiled at her and turned to her.

"I like a girl who's feisty," he said. She simply glared at him.

"You're a dick," she said. "I'm glad you fucking fired me."

"Honey, let's not cuss," he said. "I'll have to keep you in line." She raised her eyebrows, unsure whether to take it as a challenge or a threat. "See, all of these military girls… they're too tentative or too manly. You aren't a military girl, though."

"I'm fired. Great. Now leave my house, asshole," she fired back. He pounded the palms of his hands into the wall next to her head. "What are you doing?"

"I own you now, bitch," he muttered. She gritted her teeth and slammed her fist into his chest. It didn't seem to do anything, though, and he didn't move.

"Get off of me!"

"Come on. Don't be so discouraged. You'll have a nice army boy after you get – "

Hands wrapped around his neck and threw him to the ground. Kim stared at him, biting her lip so hard it bled.

She sank down to the floor, the fear finally registering and making her knees less than functional.

Acacius picked up the man and aimed his free fist at his jaw. It made contact with a crack. He set him down and let him wobble on his feet. "Get out of here, Mr. Helsen, and I won't kill you."

"Who the hell are you, blondie?" he spat, blood falling down his chin. "A pretty boy? What, you sleeping with him, bitch?" Acacius punched him again, but it was sloppy and his nails scratched right by his eye. "Shit!"

"She is not a bitch and I am not a pretty boy. We are not sleeping together and I will tell your boss about this," he said, taking out a recording device from his pocket. "Get out before I kill you."

Mr. Helsen, as Kim had learned, scoffed. "You couldn't kill me."

Acacius raised his eyebrows and cracked his knuckles. "Do you want to try me? I'm plenty pissed off right now. I'm looking for a punching bag."

Kim sprang up and pulled his arm away from his face. "Don't. I don't want trouble. You should have let him go before." He tried to shake her off but he didn't. "Leave," she directed the man. Wiping his mouth, he did.

Her first question she wanted to ask was _where the hell were you a few nights ago._ But that wasn't the most begging question she had. "What was that?" was all she could sputter out.

"I'm going to kill him," Acacius said. His anger had gone down – he wasn't flipping out – but it was still there, and it was scarier when it wasn't apparent. Now he wasn't threatening. He was promising. "I am going to kill him and it will be better."

"You don't mean that," Kim said. "And even if you do, don't do it. Please. It will ruin me. After he – "

"He is not able to get away with it," he said. "It's not okay."

"Calm down," she said. "Please."

He closed his eyes and exhaled. "Okay."

"How'd you get into my house, you creep?" she asked, hitting him. He managed a small smile.

"Back door. It really was open this time. Your sister didn't lock it when she went out." Kim figured that it was a legitimate excuse. "I'm sorry. I must have scared you."

"I… he was more," she said. "Can I sit down?"

"Sure," he said, taking her by the elbow and walking her to the couch. "Before you say it, I'm sorry. I was caught up with my dad. I tried to see you last night but you got off too late for my break. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "That's not important. Why did you – I never thought of you as the type of person to beat someone up… like that."

"I'm my father's son," he said ashamedly. "But yes, I get angry. And that was unacceptable. I'm reporting it to my – to the General tomorrow morning. But are you okay?"

She nodded. "Um, yeah. I'm fine. I don't understand… why?"

He shrugged, looking her over. Once he'd decided that she was fine, he relaxed into the chair next to her. "I told you that I cared about you."

She snickered. "When was that? Does your secret recording device say that?" He looked down and took it out of his pocket. "That's kind of weird. Do you record everything I say and replay it as you go to sleep?"

"You could say that I do it as I go to sleep," he said, raising his eyebrow suggestively.

"Innuendo. I dig that." He smirked. His eyes didn't leave her, though. "What's your deal _now_?"

"I want to make sure that you're okay. Is that a crime?"

"It is when you keep looking at me," she answered darkly. "And if you were so busy, how'd you just now get away?"

He sighed. "Alright, I'd better tell you how my days went so you can believe me."

XX

"Mrs. Beautiful," Ramir mused to his advisor on the way to a public address. "That's what the town means. But it was featured in the artwork, so might it have a double meaning?"

His advisor sighed. "Maybe the girl is the same girl on the statue and it was a commemorative piece to the beauty of the town."

Ramir perked up, grateful for someone to spitball ideas with. "I thought that too. But then I saw the events and researched the girl who it was modeled on and neither of them have anything to do with Belladonna. I think it's a cry for help – what happened to it?"

They had driven by the piece of art but it wasn't there anymore. On top of it was another piece of words. "What is this?"

It seemed to repeat the same words over and over, but he couldn't be sure. "We should stop…"

"We don't have time for this, Mr. Patel," his advisor said impatiently. "We need to get to the meeting."

Ramir nodded sadly, but not before he could snap a picture with his phone. He'd return after work.

XX

Etsu and Marcus were playing together on the carpet in front of the teacher. They liked to build up block towers and see who could make it the highest.

"How's mommy?" Etsu asked politely. Marcus shrugged.

"She's okay. She's not around much. Your mommy?"

"She's getting fatter," Etsu giggled. Marcus smiled and placed a red block on top of an orange one. "New daddy says I get to be a big sister."

Marcus thought that over. "They were yelling last night. It was scary." Etsu looked up, her black bangs scattered across her little forehead. "Yelling and screaming. Saying mommy wasn't around enough. But I'm okay! I don't need to be argued over."

Etsu handed him a block and pointed to where she wanted it. He obeyed her and placed it carefully.

"Sometimes mommy and new daddy scream. But it's not angry screaming," she said. "It's usually at night and Sally sighs and says they need to get a room. But I don't get it because they already have a room."

Marcus giggled. "Sofia tells me that means they're 'having sex'. And if we come in they'll be mad so just play for a while." He picked up some more blocks and handed them to Etsu. "Do you want a brother or a sister?"

Etsu smiled. "I want a brother because you're so nice." Marcus smiled and they continued building. "Another sister means another person sleeping with us and it's cramped already."

"Your sister and my sister are friends," Marcus commented. "Sometimes she comes over. Is she nice to you?"

"She's nice enough, but we aren't friends because she's so old." Marcus frowned at that.

"Sofia and me are friends. But we've grown up together." The two nodded as the building crashed down. "Aw man!"

"We have to start over," she said, pouting. "Alright. Let's start with the green on the bottom and work our way up to orange."

XX

Sam and Gabe were on their lunch break. And for them, that meant holding hands while eating their lunch.

"How was your sister last night?" he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. She shrugged.

"Good enough. Asked about you enough. It was really cute. But she likes that kid a ton and he didn't show up." She twirled some pasta onto her fork. Gabe retied his ponytail. "You think you'll ever cut it?"

"My gorgeous hair? Never," he said, laughing. "I like it this long. It gives me character." She nodded, unable to conceal her smile. "Come on! Give me a break!"

"How's your book doing?" she questioned, changing the subject. He smiled. "Don't tell me – did you get it picked up?"

"I submitted it. I don't know if anyone will pick it up, but I can hope, right?" he asked. She smiled at him. "Ah, princess. You're beautiful."

"That was unexpected," she commented.

"It's true." And they kissed each other quickly before returning to light banter.

XX

"I hate you for not letting me get drunk," Kim said. "It would make this a hell of a lot better and easier to take in."

Acacius laughed a little too loudly. "I want you to _remember_ me pouring my heart out. And thinking about it will make it better. Doesn't time heal all wounds?"

She giggled. "It's not a wound, it's a mental scar. I don't like thinking about my boss." He looked at her.

"What did he say to you before?" he asked. She frowned at him. "I'm asking because I want to compare and contrast to my father. I always had a hunch that he was a military man." She smiled and flipped onto her back. They'd spent the entire day talking on the couch. Acacius mentioned how he should be getting back the entire time but he didn't.

"That I'm a lazy, stupid, worthless bitch," she replied, smiling. "I have half a mind to think it's true the way you talk to me."

"Shit, do you think that?" he asked. She nodded as if it was apparent. "I don't mean that at all."

"You don't?"

He shook his head. Lying back, he looked at her. "Not at all."

"Hm. So do I compare to your family?" she asked, unable to conceal her grin.

"Definitely to how my father talked to my mother," he said. "Difference is she was just as terrible back." She nodded. "You want to hear a really weird secret?"

"I love secrets," she said.

"Alright, I have two completely separate identities. My father named me Acacius Katsaros and my mother named me Asa Keenan."

She started laughing. "That's pretty fucked up. Did you have two different personalities too? Like, was it spying?"

"No, but they both had some crazy rules. Like my dad didn't allow me to use my last name. Said it was shameful. He was raised strictly Greek Orthodox and they don't have last names for some reason. Well, that and a ton of other weird shit."

"Like using you as a slave labor force and making you work out for ridiculous hours?" she asked. He affirmed that.

"Exactly like that. And my mom was totally into witchcraft. She had all of these books talking about black magic and it was totally creepy. We couldn't say her name in the house and I had to draw weird black marks on me once a week."

Kim kept laughing. "You win the award for the weirdest family. Hands down." He joined her in laughing.

They settled into a silence. It wasn't awkward because they were staring at each other and Kim finally realized what everyone talked about in the way that he stared at her…

"God, stop it," she said. "I'm okay."

"That wasn't what I was staring at," he said. "You aren't… you're not lazy or worthless or stupid or ugly or anything. You're the opposite. You're capable and hardworking and smart and beautiful."

She didn't know what to say and she blushed. "Your father's wrong about you," she countered. "You're better than him."

"I know. The question is if I'm good enough for you."

Kim remembered what Sam had said about him. About making the first move. But that wasn't something she knew how to do…

"What are you thinking about?" he questioned. Her pulse quickened when she reached over and took his chin in her hands.

"Impulses," she explained, kissing him. If Acacius had any protests to it, he didn't mention them. Instead, he allowed his hands to touch her back. She realized that he hadn't really touched her.

It was definitely a good thing.

XX

"We're going to do it the old fashioned way," Phoebe explained patiently to Frances. "Since you are _incompetent _to find her love and I just got a giant drop in my power which means something happened with him. And there is a him. He has just been _hidden_ by his witch of a mother!"

"Don't call names, Phoebe," Frances said.

"No, a witch actually cloaked him. When I try to find him I get blonde hair and a freaking hologram," she said. "Watch." She shut her eyes and the blue figure appeared, waved, and disappeared.

"She's dead," Frances said.

"I got that, too." She got up and paced. "We need to find her."

"Why do we need to find her?" Frances asked. "There are other ways of balancing the power. If we cause something else sad – "

"What else is sad but a boyfriend being taken away? And don't tell me that they're not together now because they are. After that much, they are." She closed her eyes. "You are not allowed to be winning. When good comes, it benefits you. And you're a bad witch. That makes you a bad person."

Frances frowned. She didn't think so. At that moment, she felt fantastic. Now that Kim was happy and safe, she felt fantastic.

But Phoebe would make sure it didn't stay that way for long.

"We track her and locate him. And then we ruin his life."

Frances nodded, not knowing what else to do.

XX

Isabel managed to make it home from work at a good time. The kids were there already and Ben was on the couch, but she was able to make dinner. She had called up Carlos and he accepted the invitation.

"Hey, kids," she said, "do you want to give me a hand with the dinner?" The two nodded enthusiastically and hopped up to join her. Benjamin also joined her but for a different reason.

Wrapping his arms around her hips, he whispered into her ear. "Are you sure it's okay you're home?"

"Positive," she answered. "I invited Carlos, too. I hope that's okay." Benjamin nodded against her. "Is macaroni okay?"

"Definitely," he said.

The four cooked and joked and talked. Isabel learned that Marcus was very cordial to his friend Etsu and that Sofia had painted a wall on the side of city hall for class. Benjamin had gotten a promotion at work.

Their savings were growing.

As the macaroni was finishing, the doorbell rang. Sofia jumped up to get it and greeted Carlos.

"Hey, sweet pea," he greeted. "Sorry I was late. Had a meeting with a new friend."

"Oh?" Isabel asked. "Who was it?"

"You wouldn't know him. An Acacius Katsaros. Nice kid. And it smells like macaroni and cheese…"

XX

Jessica had a terrible headache. Geoff and his sister were at her trailer, shouting something at her. But she wasn't concentrating. Her meds were messing with her.

The withdrawal symptoms had all but gone away. Now it was the crazy side effects from her pills.

She needed to go to the doctor, she realized. "Look," she said, "I'm too tired for this. Could you come back tomorrow?"

"No," Marissa said viciously. "We need answers. Why were you in the hospital? Was it against my divorce?"

"What the fuck? Of course not. I don't care about your marital affairs. All I was doing was getting new meds," she argued, trying to close the door. Geoff caught it.

"Then what are the bandages for?"

"You're a shithead," she said, ripping them off. "I tried to kill myself, okay? I'm in a better place now, blah, blah, blah… So no, I wasn't trying to impede your divorce. Are you better now?"

Geoff sighed. "You realize what happens if you reveal that, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, his business is ruined and I disappear," she said. Marissa smiled triumphantly. Jessica's stomach curled at that smile. It was such a jerk thing to do. But she wasn't good enough to protest it.

Money fueled the city. If you had it you were home free. If you didn't, well, you'd better find someone with money or become unassuming enough that no one would bother you.

"Good talking to you, Jessica," Geoff said, motioning his sister to go to the car. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Here. You probably need this for hospital bills or a new place or something – "

"I don't want your blood money," she said. "I don't want your 'shut up' money either. So get out of here before I call the cops."

Geoff nodded. "Are you sure? This could be a bad decision."

"To hell with it. I don't want your money. Goodnight." She closed the door.

She'd thrown all of her alcohol out. Starting over was hard but it was easier than going back to what she'd been doing.

Starting over was good.

Jessica was going to be good.

XX

Sam had a hunch over why her sister was smiling. But she wouldn't tell because that would be impolite.

"Well, Kim's certainly in a better mood tonight," Chastity commented, her nose in a book as always. "Is there a reason for that?"

"None," Kim commented. Chastity had her suspicions. Sam grinned at her when Gabe walked back in.

"Why's everyone in such a good mood? Can I be in on this grand joke?" he asked, resuming his normal spot next to Sam.

Chastity shrugged. "You wouldn't know him. You're too busy with Sam to notice."

Gabe frowned. "So it's a guy, then?"

"Definitely," Sam said. "I was about to fix them up but it seems as if they did it for me."

"No, I was already planning it. See, we just need to _find_ him first."

"Then why isn't he here?" Gabe asked Chastity. "Come on. Fine. Kim, what happened to you today?"

"I was fired. My boss came to my house and assaulted me over it," she admitted. Sam smirked at her.

"And?" she pressed.

"And," she said, getting up to get her stuff and leave since she was starting her job search tomorrow, "Acacius and I made out."

Gabe laughed and squeezed Sam's shoulder. "I'm happy for her," he whispered. Sam nodded and smiled at him. "But I'd like to get to know him…"

"I'll bring him along soon," Kim called, walking out the door.

XX

"Where have you been?" Acacius' father demanded.

"Out," he replied simply, refusing to acknowledge him. He also tried to face away from him. Smiling was a secret.

And Acacius could not have secrets.

"For the entire day?" his father inquired. "You realize the punishment for that, correct?"

"Yes," he answered plainly, taking off his jacket. "What should I do to repay my absence?"

His father left his computer and walked up to his son. "You sure have grown up, son."

Acacius scoffed. "Duh. I'm twenty-two, dad. I'm not the senior that you brought to this town." He shifted his weight and looked away. Looking into his fathers' eyes meant a threat. Threats meant losing.

And he didn't like to lose.

"Which means you've got a girl," he said. "That's all of your excuses. That's why you keep trying to leave."

"Sure."

"Alright, then. Who's the big man, now?" his father asked, a dark look forming onto his face. "You've got a girl and a job and an apartment. Look who's winning now?" Acacius frowned, unsure of what to make of his conversation. "Here's my bet: you keep her for a few months. Then she gets tired of you, just like your mother. Dumps you off with me."

_Shut up_, he thought. But he didn't say anything.

"Did you tell her about _why_ we moved here yet? About your two personalities? About how much of a terrible person you are?" he continued.

"Yes," he said. "She knows."

His father laughed. "Well, aren't you a brave soul? I doubt you told her why we moved."

"You told me not to tell," he said quietly.

"Yeah, but if she's your girl, you will eventually. And how will she react to that? Will she react like your mother?"

"Stop it," Acacius said, turning around. His father caught his shoulder and turned him around to face him. "What do you want?"

"I think I remember telling you to not make relationships here," he said. "You disobeyed me."

"You don't own me."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

XX

"How are our finances?" Timothy Riley asked. He and his wife were sitting at the kitchen table, going through their receipts and income. Vivian ran a hand through her hair. "Do we go over by at least fifty percent?"

"Well, since we consolidated our apartments and sold my furniture… we're close," she said.

"There?"

"Close," she repeated. Timothy exhaled slowly. "We have to think of all of the things we need to buy for the baby. There are cribs and diapers and food. We need to think logically."

He organized some papers. "But we have the money for the house. What if it gets bought? What do we do then?"

"But we need supplies for the baby," she repeated.

"We don't have room here," he said. "Etsu and Sally already complain about each other." Sally heard her name and meandered over to them. "Hey, baby."

"What's up, Sally?" Vivian asked. She sighed.

"Dad, I'm hungry. Can Etsu and I have something to eat?" she asked. Vivian jumped up and opened up the refrigerator. She hopped up on the stool next to Vivian.

Vivian smiled at the girl. She was so jealous of that hair. She doubted she'd ever let her touch it…

"How about… some peanut butter and jelly?" she asked. Sally sighed.

"Vivian, I'm allergic to peanuts," she said.

"Don't call your mother that," Timothy said automatically. Sally rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. What do you want to eat?"

Sally smiled. "I'd like some toast with cinnamon on it. Etsu said she wants some of those mini cracker things. And, mom, I wondered if you would like to help me go shopping this weekend."

Timothy looked over at them and nodded. Etsu toddled up next to Sally and smiled. "Me, too!"

Sally picked up the girl and set her on the stool next to her. "Yeah. We can have a girls' day. Is that alright, daddy?" she asked.

Vivian turned to Timothy and beamed. Timothy, however, frowned. His daughter was not that way. She was generally disinterested in all things to do with his new wife.

"That'd be perfectly fine, Sally. It was nice of you to offer that. You can shop for new baby clothes, too." Sally looked up at Vivian and raised her eyebrows.

"Do you guys know the baby's gender?" she asked. Timothy smiled and nodded. "Tell me! Come on, daddy!"

"You girls are going to be the older sisters to a little brother," Vivian revealed. Etsu jumped off of the chair and started running around.

Sally chuckled. "She's been hoping for a little brother." Etsu returned and Vivian gave her a bowl of crackers.

"Etsu's going to be a sister! Etsu's going to be a sister!" she screamed. Timothy laughed and told her to be quiet. Vivian handed Sally a piece of toast she'd prepared. She bit into it and held her thumb up.

Vivian returned to Timothy and sat on his lap. Sally skipped over to them and put her finger on a piece of paper.

"Vivian, I remember you mentioning you put Etsu's things into storage. Might you be able to use some of that even if it's suited for a girl? I mean, if you're having issues with money." Vivian and Timothy looked at each other, beaming. "And if that means we get to buy the house, dad, we still have some of my stuff in the garage, too. I was a very… boyish toddler."

Etsu waited patiently by her sister. "My Chen?" she asked.

"Chen. I like that name," Vivian commented. "Could that be it?"

Timothy considered it. "We'll look through other options but… I like it." The family smiled. _A perfect family, _Timothy mused. _My wife and me with our three beautiful children. _

_A family doesn't have to be blood. It just has to have love. _

XX

"Do you think we're family, Justin?" Tara asked. They were at his fathers' house again. It had become their unofficial hangout.

"Whatever you want, babe," he said. She frowned and turned to him.

"No, it's not whatever we want. Are you really… do I really like you?" she asked. Justin turned to face her, his face frowning too. "I think… we should break up."

"What?" he asked. "I didn't…"

"We aren't romantically inclined," she said. "I'm sorry. I want to still be friends."

He didn't say anything and she left.

XX

_TL;DR: Kim gets assaulted and kissed. Not by the same person. Ramir thinks about the graffiti which was painted over. Etsu and Marcus talk about adult topics. Sam and Gabe have lunch. (Kim gets kissed but that was mentioned.) Phoebe and Frances plot to find Kim's boyfriend. Isabel and family invite Carlos over for dinner. Marissa and Geoff talk to Jessica. Sam, Gabe, Chaste, and Kim hang out. Acacius' father gets angry with him. Timothy, Vivian, and family grow closer. Tara and Justin break up. _

_If this is getting slump-y, I promise it will get better. Next chapter things should start to spiral if I plan it right. _

_THANK YOU MY LOYAL LOVELY FANS ;) _

XX


	15. Chapter 13: Unlucky

_A/N: This lined up well. 13 is where things turn dark I hope. Warning: Guts. Maybe. Probably not good guts. But guts nonetheless. _

Chapter 13: Unlucky

"You know what?" Sofia said. Sally and she were babysitting their little brother and sister. It was a Friday they had off of school. Sally raised her eyebrow.

"Hm?" she asked. She was doodling in a new book. She still carried her future book around, but it was full and she was starting in a new one.

She'd left that at home, though.

"I think we should look for the lady at the last page of your book," she said. "Well, not the last one. The one with the fight that we're watching."

Sally got up. "Do you think that this is child's play, Sofia? These are coming true and three people are going to die!"

Sofia quieted down. She was right; it was a little scary. Etsu and Marcus had become friends. They'd met the majority of the people she'd drawn. And the predictions she'd drawn included a confirmed death of the mayor. That was scary.

But still, little girls got curious.

"I mean, you drew the redhead, right? Frances. But what about the brown haired girl? I want to know what she's like. If she's like Frances, it shouldn't be bad, right?" Sofia said. She put her book down. It was a boring day. She needed adventure.

Sally adamantly shook her head. "It's a bad idea."

"Fine. But can we at least go to the park? It's warm and the snow is melting a little. Wouldn't the kids like it? And I'm so bored."

Sally got up. She picked up her little sister and took her to the Baldwins' window. "Hey, Etsu. Does it look too cold outside to go to the park?" The little girl shook her head, beaming. "But you don't have your coat."

"Yes I do, Sally," she said, pointing to Marcus who was setting up pillows to make a fort. The coats were the roofs. "I wanna go play!"

"Me too, Sally," Marcus said, running over. "Swings!"

"Swings!"

"Swings!"

Sofia sighed and caught her little brother. She lifted him up too and showed him the window. "You wanna go, little brother?" He nodded. "You hear the kids, Sally. They want to go to the park. We won't _look_ for her. But if she shows up… well, that's curiosity."

Sally rolled her eyes. "Alright, Etsu. Let's get your coat on. Sofia, call your dad and make sure it's okay." She beamed and headed to the phone.

"Yeah, daddy? Would it be okay if we took Etsu and Marcus to the park for a bit? We're cooped up here and it's only a few minutes' walk. We'd watch them and keep them safe and – great! I'll take my cell phone. Love you, daddy!" She hung up. "Alright, Marcus, get your coat and boots on."

"Yes, sissy," he said obediently.

They were on the street quickly. Sally had Etsu's hand and Sofia was carrying Marcus. The snow was melting quickly – it looked as if there wouldn't be enough snow for Christmas. But there was still time before Christmas.

The sun beat down and Sofia took off her coat. "It's hot for December," she commented. Sally nodded. In her backpack were her drawing supplies and her phone. It wasn't as fancy as Sofia's but it did its job. She'd texted her father quickly telling them that they were going to the park – just to be safe.

To their delight, the park was almost deserted. Marcus jumped out of his sister's grasp and Etsu followed. They were attracted to the swings.

"They're a cute set of friends," Sofia said. Sally nodded and the two headed for a picnic table. "Alright, take out your magic book." Sally smiled and revealed it along with another project she'd been working on. "Is that –?"

"Yeah. I found a ton of pictures on the Internet so I've been trying to recreate it. Does it look good?"

"Oh my god, yes! That's incredible," she said, taking the picture of the street art and examining it. "Wait, these lines – is this only the first draft?"

She beamed and nodded.

"This is freaking amazing, Sally. I wish I were as talented as you. Are you going to be an artist when you grow up, do you think?"

Sally blushed and shrugged at her. "I don't know. I'm not fantastic at anything else, really – "

"Wrong! You're great in science class."

"But you're great everywhere else," she complained. "You're going to be a doctor or something." Sofia gave the book back. Sally pushed the future book to her and she flipped to the page she was curious about. "Come on, we aren't going to – "

She froze and looked past Sofia. She widened her eyes as something clicked in her head. That was how it worked. When she saw something that made sense she froze for a little bit as something in her head clicked. It was like a key turning into a lock that changed everything in the future.

"What is it?"

"It's – it's who you were looking for," she said, pulling out her chalk. Sally tugged the book back and penciled in the face in the beginning and the end.

Her name, her life story, and what she was looking for popped into her head. Sofia spectated as she worked on it.

Sofia turned around to look at the woman. She was somewhat pretty. Her hair was black and pulled into a braid. It was in a neat bun coiled at her neck. She was in a pretty white jacket and jeans.

Her heart bloomed at the sight of her, if that made any sense.

"She's… so pretty," Sofia commented. Sally shook her head.

"She's bad. I don't know why I think that, but she's bad. Bad, bad, bad." Sofia frowned at the picture. "Her name's Phoebe Adams. She's… supposed to be twenty-three? She has a sister. And she's bad."

"Why'd you draw her with brown hair? She has black hair." Sally looked up and shook her head.

"I see brown hair when I look at her."

"Black."

"She's walking away," Sally said. Sofia immediately got up. "Where are you going?"

"After her." Sally shook her head.

"That's a bad idea. She's not a good person."

"She's a perfect person! I can just tell – "

"Fine! We'll go and I'll prove it."

"What about the kids?" Sofia asked, all of a sudden concerned. Sally rolled her eyes.

"They'll be fine. Come on."

The two got up. Sally tucked all of her supplies into her backpack and they skipped after her.

XX

"Motherfuck," she said. "Where's that son of a bitch?"

Phoebe smoothed her hair down. It was warm enough that she could search for him on foot. But it was still a bit windy and the air had a chill to it. It _was _December, after all.

She knew, once the power changed so much that she fell to the ground, that he was to blame this time. She didn't know how. She didn't know why. But she intended to find out.

Her footsteps didn't echo. They were metered and careful, just like her anger when she cared to control it. But caring was for the weak and when she was angry by herself she exploded.

Sparks flew out of her fingertips as she snapped. When her wand was strapped to her arm she could control her magic through her fingertips. It was a great thing to use while in public.

Phoebe hated public. Her locator spell kept his location in her head, directing her where to go. She'd learned how to manipulate it better than anyone she knew.

"Gotcha," she said, turning an alley. There were footsteps behind her but she wagered that it was the boy's posse.

"Hello there," the boy said, folding his hands. "What brings you to this alley? It's not a usual place." She shook her head and gripped his shirt. Slamming him against the wall, she roared.

"What did you do last night?" The kid's eyes widened. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"What – what are you talking about?" he asked frantically. "I didn't do anything!"

"That's bullshit! What did you do last night? You did something on the streets that helped my sister and you're going to die for it!"

"What – I don't even know your sister, man. I – all I did last night was tag a wall. That's all I did. I'm – I know it was a crime, but I learn my lesson and I need the money. I'm so sorry."

"You… what did you tag?" she hissed. The graffiti had intriguing balance issues. Some of them tipped it into her favor and some tipped the balance into Frances'. She doubted that politics was even part of their struggle but it apparently was.

"I was – it was directions," he said. "I didn't mean for it to be so inflammatory!"

"Big word for a piece of shit like you," she hissed. "What did it say?"

"It said that the date for the dog comes closer. That's all, I swear!" She tightened her grip on his neck. "I swear! I swear!"

"You tipped the cops off," she said. "YOU TIPPED THEM OFF."

She set him down and gripped her wand. His head quite literally exploded. She didn't even flinch when the blood covered her face, her sneer difficult to hide. He fell to the ground, his knees first, and as Phoebe stepped aside, the rest of him. His neck was the only thing that was left. Blood pooled where his head was but the pieces were everywhere. The wall was covered in bits of blood and brain in its own little graffiti spectacle.

"Disgusting," she said, walking away.

Behind her, two horrified little girls watched Phoebe's spectacle their expressions terrified and sickened.

XX

Frances was watching the little kids. She didn't understand why they had walked off but it was okay. They trusted her. The little girl, the seer's little sister, giggled on the swing. The boy was trying to push her.

Then it happened. She felt a dramatic shift in her direction.

The tables hadn't turned. In fact, they'd gone in her favor. But then it faded quickly. Her stomach dropped and it felt like something was sucking her stomach out through her belly button.

"Oh, god," she groaned. "This is bad. This is really bad."

Whatever Phoebe had done, it had been detrimental. It would be hard to recover from that.

She looked up at a rustling of feet. Two terrified looking girls were booking it back to the park. Her seer was crying and Sofia was grabbing her arm. They saw her and stopped.

"No, no," she said, getting up and quickly walking over to them. "What happened?"

"Sh-she-she killed him," Sally said. "She… his head exploded."

_What the hell?_

The brown haired girl started sobbing. Sofia picked up where she had left off. "They were arguing and talking about graffiti and then she got really mad and she did something with her hand and he exploded. It was so scary." She joined her friend on the ground.

"Wait, who is she?" she asked, a sinking feeling joining the absolute fear in the pit of her chest.

"Phoebe," Sally whispered. "Phoebe Adams."

XX

Carlos and Geoff sat at separate edges of the table. Armand had joined them, sitting in the center, trying to level them out. The reports from his business lay across the table.

"Guys, calm down," Armand said. "We will be fine. This drop in stock is nothing to worry about. It generally happens."

"Not when this city is rampant with graffiti. I've had to call off delivery in risk of getting caught. Stores aren't allowed to sell spray-paint anymore. Anyone caught with it is arrested immediately. That wrecks our campaign!"

"We are but pawns for a larger campaign," Carlos said sagely. "Really. These are things we've been ordered to do, but it's happening everywhere. This city has been the only one getting attention."

"And why is this?" Armand said. "Think critically, guys."

"We have a bad history and a kickass mayor," Geoff said. "Still. This has impeded the money we get from this and also hurt your business, Armand. Now, I can't stand you, but I still want our deal to work."

They both nodded. "Of course we do, Geoff. But we have to think and be careful. If any of us get arrested… there's a lot in our histories. We have a lot at stake." Carlos nodded toward them. "And the task we are dealt? It is even riskier. No one in our crime rings will be willing to do it. We need to find someone who can do it for us. That is, unless one of you is up for the job."

The two were silent. "That's what I thought. I will get Jessica on our side. But you, Armand? How's your girl doing?"

"Quiet," he remarked. "The boys she's hanging out with – they're military kids. They're perfectly fine. So they should make sure she shuts up for long enough for this to get done, we to make our pensions, and for us to retire to Twikki."

Geoff snickered. "Shut up, Rutherford. How about your ex-brother-in-law? Is he still as flamboyant as can be?"

"He's quiet. Has a shitty apartment on the outskirts of town. His boy – my nephew – visits a lot. Marissa's too busy with work." Carlos opened his mouth as if he had a brilliant idea. "What?"

"Invite her. She's good with insider trading, isn't she? She could be the boost to Armand's business that we need. How about it?"

Geoff grinned. "I'll invite her tonight."

Carlos nodded and got up. "Meeting adjourned. I need to talk to Jessica."

XX

"And how good would you say you are at charming people?" the recruiter asked Kim. She shrugged.

"I can be charming when I want to be. See, I've gotten you this far in the interview," she joked. The recruiter cracked a smile. "I guess… I've wanted to work in politics for a while but never thought it was possible. Since I got fired, I figured, why not try?"

"And why did you get fired, Ms. Cordial? Is it Ms.?"

"Yeah. I'm not married. And he tried… he assaulted me. Before he fired me." He nodded, taking that into account. "Any other questions?"

"No, Ms. Cordial. I'll be in contact with you," he said, straightening his papers.

"Does – did I get the job?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I couldn't say. But if I were you… I'd keep your phone handy." She grinned and they shook hands. "It was great meeting you."

She practically skipped outside. Her job search had taken one interview and she probably had the job? So what if it was a crap job – she was in politics. It was exciting and it was new.

And it was better than a lecherous boss.

"How'd it go?" Acacius asked. He had been waiting outside. Since they'd kissed, he hadn't continually shown up in odd places. He'd made his presence known and was generally nicer to her.

"I think well," she said, crossing her arms. "I… I think I'll go home now."

"Don't," he said, catching her arm. "I know I've made you feel awkward – "

"Four times in two days you didn't," she joked. "I'd say it's a record."

"But I don't want you to be scared. I want – "

"Calm down, socially awkward," she said, moving toward him and running her fingers through his hair. "I get it."

She kissed him again. After the first time, he'd stood up and stuttered. She'd managed to calm him down but then he got a call from his father telling him to go.

This time she would make sure he stayed.

He blinked at her a few times. "Well, you certainly are one for words," she giggled. "I'd say that I'm a fantastic kisser. You ever had a girlfriend before?"

"One," he said. "But that was back… eighth grade."

"And then you turned into an asshole. I get it," she joked. "I've had five boyfriends. One could say that I was a bit of a slut. So I know how to kiss." He blushed. "I love your socially awkward tendencies."

"I wasn't socialized since eighth grade. Sorry," he said bitterly. She shook her head. She twisted her fingers with his so he held her hand. "I have to – "

"Don't leave me," she whispered desperately. "I might have scared you a little as well. I'm sorry." He nodded. His expression was unsure of what to do. "Don't go."

He hesitated for a moment. Then he took her in his arms and rubbed her back. "If you ask I won't."

She grinned. "Now how about you try kissing me this time?"

"Sounds like a plan."

XX

Jessica was roused by the sound of banging at her door. She felt sick. In fact, she felt really sick. She stumbled to the door and opened it.

"Hey there, Jessica," Carlos said suavely. She rolled her eyes and tried to close the door. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I've had enough of people pounding at my door," she said. "Go away." He caught the door and forced in. "I'm sick. I have the stomach flu."

"So that's why you look like shit," he commented. She rolled her eyes. "Go to a doctor." She shook he head and curled up on the couch. Her muscles felt like she was dying. Her stomach? She could barely keep water down.

But the problem was she was out of money.

"I have no money. And don't offer me any of that crap. Your freaking friend Geoff offered that when he brought his crazy sister over." Carlos laughed. "What?"

"Crazy sister. Good girl." He brushed her hair out of her forehead. She flinched. It hurt when he touched her. "What?"

"It hurts," she said, curling up into a ball on the couch. "Everything hurts."

"Sweetie," he said, sitting next to her and rubbing circles on her back. "It's okay. Just relax and go to sleep. I'll get a doctor."

"Money – "

"I'll take care of it," he said. "Just go to sleep."

"_Just go to sleep," her father said. "Just fall asleep and it will be better in the morning." _

"Daddy," she muttered before falling down and into unconsciousness.

XX

Ramir searched through things, desperate to figure out the graffiti. Mrs. Beautiful.

He tapped through anyone referred to as Mrs. Beautiful. There weren't beauty pageants by that name. There were no titles. It was a dead end.

_Wait… _Bella was a given name, wasn't it? Maybe there was someone named Mrs. Bella. He searched the name but it just came up with a ton of cats.

He sighed and tapped his notebook. The events couldn't be searched. They were complex. Whoever had designed it was smart.

He tried to search one last thing…

"Bella… Pleasantview," he spoke as he typed.

Immediately hundreds of news articles popped up. About disappearing women, a Goth family, grieving children, controversies… it was everywhere. There were copious amounts of information. He clicked on the image bar.

"Whoa," he said, whistling through his teeth. "Jackpot."

The woman looked just like the girl on the picture. She wore the red dress and everything.

"You _do_ look just like Ana," he mused, gazing at her picture. "Well, I have my research to do, don't I, Bella?" He clicked back to the articles and saw a funeral with a distraught family at it. "What happened to you? I'll figure it out."

"Ramir," someone said. "We're ready for you." He closed his laptop and stepped out onto the stage.

"Hello, residents of Belladonna! It is a pleasure to be addressing you like this."

XX

"Hey, Tara," Armand said as she walked in. "Didn't you have the day off?" She turned to him in tears. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Nothing, dad. If I told you I'd be in trouble. So nothing." She stomped to her room. It took Armand seconds to put it together.

She'd never broken up with Justin when he asked her to, but rather on her own terms. And now she was torn up over it.

He put his head into his arms. Why was he so stupid? Would it have hurt to let her have her fun?

But, looking at his rapidly plummeting stock, it might have wrecked him more than he knew. The causes and effects were unknown to him, but they were still moving and changing and causing his money to disappear.

Like magic, his company had dropped in the standings. They needed it to be in good standings for what they needed to do.

Someone rang the doorbell. Armand jumped up and answered it.

_Of course it's only the mail,_ he thought, reaching into the mailbox and perusing the papers. Something stuck out…

"Why's the tax agency sending me stuff?" he questioned. Setting down the rest of the mail, he opened it.

He dropped it in shock.

_To the Board of Directors and Shareholders_

_Debateau Industries_

"You have got to be kidding me," he said, chuckling to himself. "I'm being audited."

He threw the letters off of the table angrily. "I'm so fucked."

XX

"My god," Isabel said. "I didn't think we'd be dealing with homicides this quickly. It escalated."

Shannon nodded, kneeling down by the dead man. "I don't even know what could have caused this. I mean, sure, you can cut someone's head off but you can't… _explode_ it."

Isabel joined him, snapping pictures of him. She figured they would get the real detectives on the case afterwards, but it could fall to her. The case would be difficult, though. Without a head or dental records, the identification would be near impossible.

"Mi amigo, mi amigo!" a boy shouted. "Ayudame. Mi hermano." Isabel got up and turned to him. "Ése es mi hermano!"

"¿Qué?" she asked, falling back onto the little Spanish her father had taught her. "¿Quién es él?"

"Mi hermano," the boy groaned.

"Sí, pero ¿cómo se llama?" she grumbled. The boy was crying now, trying to touch his brother. Shannon held him back and tried to comfort him. "Cálmase."

"I didn't know you spoke Spanish," Shannon said. "That's pretty wicked."

"Yeah, well it doesn't help when he won't answer any of my questions." She knelt down in front of the distraught kid and tried again. "¿Habla inglés?"

"Sí, un poco," the boy answered.

"What… is your brother's… name?" she asked.

"Bruno Garcia," the boy replied.

"We need to take you in," she said. "For questioning. There will be a translator. You are not in trouble."

"I'll need a summary of that conversation," Shannon said. She rolled her eyes.

"He wants help for his brother, Bruno Garcia. The dead kid." Shannon sighed and put a comforting hand on his back.

"You're beyond helping, mi amigo," he said, clasping his hands in front of the dead man.

XX

"I have a surprise for you," Ana said, bouncing her baby in her arms. Ramir looked up. He had just gotten in the door and he was already off of his balance.

He set down his pile of papers in his briefcase and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"How much do you like Lila?" she asked. He frowned.

"A ton. She's almost as fantastic as you. Why?" he questioned, taking off his jacket. His wife's smile was ridiculous.

"Would you mind another one?" she continued. Ramir finally realized what she was telling him.

"You're pregnant again?" he asked. "This isn't a joke, right?" She shook her head. "That's fantastic! Oh my goodness… there's so much to do. We don't have enough space so we need to move out… more baby supplies… three room houses…" He paced around, thinking of all of the things they needed to do and to get…

"Relax, honey. It will happen in good time. I was thinking we look for houses in a few weekends… because there was one I had my eye on…"

"Name it, sweet pea, and we'll get it," he said, folding the two of them into a hug. "I can't… another kid! We'll have another perfect you running around!"

"I don't know, I was hoping for a little Ramir to shoot around fun facts. Although, another me wouldn't be too bad…"

He chuckled and kissed her. His heart was bursting with joy at the route his life was taking.

XX

Jessica woke up in a sweat. She didn't know where she was.

She panted and tried to get up, but she was too achy to move. It hurt everywhere.

And she was thirsty. She was so, so thirsty.

"Hello?" she croaked, stumbling out of bed. The soft light of a bathroom enticed her to get a drink. Not even caring if it was ineffective, she stuck her head under the faucet.

After swallowing, she immediately felt a wave of nausea. She barely made it to the toilet before throwing up.

"Ugh," she said, wiping her mouth with her hand. "What's wrong with me?" She coiled into a ball by the porcelain. It felt almost painful it was so cold. She brushed her forehead. "Damn." Whatever was wrong, she was burning up. It was ridiculously hot on her.

Fevers were the least of her problems. She ached, her throat hurt, she had a pounding headache, it hurt to move…

"Where am I?" she repeated to herself. So she was delirious, too. "Goddamn. Maybe… it could be his place." She remembered Carlos saying he was going to do something. She forced herself up and stumbled back to the bedroom. It was easily recognizable. "Yep, I'm at his place."

But she was too sore to care. Whatever she was sick with was really detrimental. She fell against the bed and fell unconscious incredibly quickly.

XX

Carlos was watching television as his niece walked in. "Hey, Carlos," she greeted, patting his head. "God, it was a rough day at work."

"What happened, sweetie?" he asked. She opened his fridge and took out a bottle of water.

"Murder," she said shortly, taking a drink. "I had… I couldn't bring that weight home to my family. If I talked about it around Marcus? Or Sofia?"

Carlos nodded. "I completely understand, baby. Have a seat," he invited. She flopped down next to him. "What happened?"

"This kid… his head was completely exploded. It was insane. And his little brother was screaming and crying. It was terrible. I don't want to see that. If I could help him…"

Carlos frowned. That wasn't usual. Murders in Belladonna? He saw to it that people knew it wasn't appropriate to do that in his groups. So someone aside from him must have done it. He would have to look into that.

The news report came on. "In other news, an epidemic is hitting Belladonna. Citizens are recommended to take precautionary measures including washing hands and staying home if they have a fever over one hundred degrees."

"Since a snow storm is expected to blow in around three in the morning, you should probably hunker down and wait it out. It shouldn't be that bad, should it, Camilla?" the man asked. The woman laughed and shook her head.

"No. Too bad it's on a Friday, kids. You could have had a snow day."

Isabel sighed. "Sure, it'll snow. It'll snow like two inches and they'll shut down the entire city." Carlos chuckled. "I'm right, though."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "You sure you're okay, Isa? You could spend the night if you were feeling bad – "

"Oh, no," she said. "I'm good. Just… a little out of sorts, you know? Seeing… there was blood everywhere. It…" she sighed. "I guess this is just the sort of thing I'll need to put up with, right?"

"Aw, sweetie," he said, pulling her into a hug. "You'll be okay, though. Things like this happen. You'll get to the bottom of it and put him to justice. You can. I know you can." She nodded and they pulled apart.

"Well, I should probably get home. I need to quell my children's dreams of a snow day." He winked at her.

"That's what adults are for," he joked. "Talk to you later, Isa. If the snow lets up, I'd love to come over for some more of your mac and cheese."

"Sure thing, uncle Carlos."

He stared at the television. "This strain of the flu is very contagious. However, it's been noticed that up to half of a testing group has immunity to it. The symptoms include a variety of generic things that most sicknesses utilize. To you, Addie. What sort of things are we looking at for this flu?"

"Thank you, Camilla. For this strain of flu, we're looking at general malaise – that is, not feeling very well – aching, sore throat, vomiting, lethargy, and a rather high fever. Treatment includes fluids – lots of fluids, as much as they can keep down – and painkillers as needed. Hospitalization would be wise if the fever gets higher than a one hundred and two for adults or a one hundred for a child."

Carlos turned it off and went to his fridge. He grabbed a bottle of water and walked to his bedroom. Jessica was curled up on the bed, sleeping.

"Jessica," he whispered. She groaned and turned away from him. "Drink this. You've got the flu."

"You're not a doctor," she said back. Nevertheless, she grabbed the bottle and opened it. "I feel like crap."

"Yeah, they did this news segment on it. Half of the town's supposed to feel like crap. It's supposed to snow tonight and it's supposed to be bad." She rubbed her eyes and sat up. "So I was thinking you need to stay here so I can take care of you."

"I was going to dump your ass," she moaned. He sighed. He had already figured it was coming. "Earlier today. But I became sick."

"I just want to make sure you don't die, Jessica. Which, knowing how you take care of yourself, is very plausible. Now drink and go to sleep, okay?" She nodded, took a swig of water, set it down on the night table, and curled back up to go to sleep.

He walked out and glanced out the window. There were going to be people in trouble rather soon.

XX

_TL;DR: Sofia and Sally follow Phoebe. Phoebe casually kills a man. Frances watches their little siblings and they talk about it. Carlos, Geoff, and Armand talk about dropping stock. Kim does a job interview and she and Acacius leave to do stuff. Carlos goes to Jessica's house but she's too sick to talk. Ramir opens a can of worms about a really super famous mystery. Armand gets audited… and has something to hide from them. Isabel and Shannon (her MALE partner) happen upon the murder scene and get a name out of the victim's brother. Ana is pregnant again. Jessica is actually really sick. Isabel visits Carlos' house and goes home because it's going to snow. _

_WOW that chapter… hope you enjoyed it. Reminds me: I still need to write the TL;DR for the season finale. _

XX


	16. Chapter 14: Sick

_A/N: Things are looking up on this home front guys. _

Chapter 14: Sick

"Is it just me, sweetie, or do you look really pale?" Sam asked. Gabe shook his head. "You look sick."

Their boss walked over, glancing at them concernedly. "Gabe, you do look sick. Let me take your temperature." He closed his eyes and swayed on his feet. Vivian materialized a thermometer and stuck it in his mouth. She felt his forehead. "You heard about the flu going around, right? And the snow storm?"

Sam nodded, taking Gabe's hand. She brushed her black hair out of her eyes and kept her eyes on her boyfriend.

"Wow, that's high," Vivian said. "Too high. One hundred. Take him home, Sam. We're letting most of the people off early. Can you get home safely?"

Sam nodded. "It isn't snowing or anything." Gabe shook his head. "What?"

"I don't need to go home," he said. "I can still work." He tried to stand up but Sam stopped him. Vivian shook her head.

"Take him home, Sam. Have a nice night. If you can't get in tomorrow… I'll understand, she said, walking away. Sam smiled. Vivian was a very nice boss. And her pregnancy was apparent, considering how she ran to vomit all the time. Sam hoped that her marriage was happy.

But now, she had something else to concentrate on. "Gabe," she whispered. "Come on. We're going home."

"No," he muttered. "I'm fine."

"You aren't," she insisted, pulling him along. "Come on, we'll go to my house. It'll be okay. You're just getting sick."

"I don't get sick," he insisted. She sighed, recalling what she had heard about immunity.

"And that's why you're getting sick, baby. Come on." He stumbled. She caught him and righted him. "We're almost there."

"I feel dizzy," he muttered. She pulled his weight onto her shoulder. "And achy. And sick."

"That'd be textbook symptoms," she said, laughing quietly. "Alright, it's going to get cold." She opened the door to the parking lot. "Give me your keys, baby." He dug in his pockets and handed them to her. "Thanks." She unlocked the car and set him in the passenger side.

"What are you doing? I can drive," he said, trying to get up. But he couldn't and he fell back. "I – I can – please, Sam."

"I'll get you home, baby. I can take care of you," she said, starting his car and driving. "Talk to me, Gabe. Have you been sick before?" Sam was going to run down the list and make sure it was the disgusting flu the doctors had warned them all about. He shook his head. "And when did you start feeling these symptoms?"

He shrugged. "Like… noon, maybe?"

She groaned as someone ran a red light. "Dumbass. It isn't even snowing yet." She made a hard right to her house. "You don't mind coming to my house, right?"

"No," he said, rubbing his temples. "I'm fine, I swear." She grabbed his hand. "Well… since you're a nurse, I'll be fine."

"That's my Gabe," she said, pecking his cheek. "Alright, now we need a ton of water and juice."

He groaned. "I don't like juice."

"Tough," she said, chuckling. "I think I have some from when I organized the sleepover with Kim. Couldn't remember if she liked orange or pineapple."

He snickered. "Who likes pineapple juice?"

"Her, apparently, because we're out of that."

XX

"We went through the flu when we were in sixth grade," Kim said. "It was pretty bad. We were out for a week."

Acacius nodded and rubbed her shoulder. "I've had it, too. Hopefully it's okay." Kim frowned. "What is it?"

"Sam. Do you think she'll be worried about me not calling or showing up or anything?" she questioned. "I'm not leaving, but still. Should I call her or something?" Acacius shrugged.

"Is your phone dead?" he questioned. She took it from her pocket to check it. "Yeah, it's dead. And I don't have your phone charger." She sighed. "You could try my landline if I remembered to pay it."

She chuckled softly. Of course he wouldn't pay his phone bill. It was no matter, though. If things got bad she would use his phone. But it was a crappy old cell phone that was dead, and it needed to charge all the way in order to use it.

He turned to her and retracted his arm. "She'll be fine. She's probably at her boyfriend's house like she always is, waiting out the storm." He had a point. But she didn't trust it and it was probably going to make her nervous. "Calm down. Even if she isn't she should figure out that you're safe. You're not a dumbass who will get stuck in the snow."

"Yeah," she said. She got up and crossed her arms. Looking out the window, she watched the clouds roll across the dark landscape. "How bad do you think it's going to snow?"

"No idea," he replied. "But a substantial amount. Good thing I won't have work tomorrow." Her eyes widened. "What is it?"

"Shit! My phone's dead. They won't call about my job!" She paced back and forth. He got up to comfort her.

"Think this through, Kim. They'll call during business hours. Your phone died at five. It's the weekend. You'll get home by Monday so you can charge it. It'll be fine, okay?"

She exhaled, closing her eyes. She needed to calm down. It wasn't such a big deal. Kim ran a hand through her hair and turned to him.

"You're right. Sorry."

"Not worth apologizing for. Anyway, do you want to order a pizza before the storm hits and watch a movie?"

"If by watch a movie you mean make out, then yes," she said, shooting him a devious smirk.

"No, I actually meant watch a movie."

She froze. "Do you not – "

"It isn't based on whether I want to or not. It's because you don't have to move at fifty miles an hour for me."

"Is that what you think I'm doing?"

"I think that you've done it in the past and that's what got you labeled as a slut," he said honestly. "You aren't, of course. But something makes you think you are." She crossed her arms defensively. "You aren't. But slow down, okay?"

"I don't _need_ to slow down."

"Fine. Then I do." She stepped away from him. "Tell me why you're like this." She glared at him. "Don't do this to me."

"Because that was the only way I was popular," she admitted. He sighed.

"Of course it was. The big sister-sister thing. Let me tell you that you are both your own person and it doesn't matter what happened in high school. I don't care." She leaned against the wall, waiting for him to finish.

"Are you done?"

"Yes."

"Then listen to me. I do what I do because I want to, okay? Not because I need someone to tell me that it's good. Not anymore. So don't lecture me on being a slut, okay?" She grabbed his hand. "You're the only person I've really _liked_ in a long time. I know what I'm doing."

"As long as you're sure." She smirked at him. "I'm still hungry, though. And I really do want to watch a movie."

She rolled her eyes and walked to the bathroom. "Whatever you want, princess."

"Princess?"

"Yeah. Because you're more romantic than a teenager in an upper-middle class family."

XX

Chastity's car wouldn't start.

"I know we were working late," Archie said, "but do you need a lift home?"

"Ah, probably not," she called back. "If my goddamn car would just start." She kicked it and got out. "Yeah, that sucks." The boy ran over, holding his coat to his chest. "Can I take you up on the offer to drive me? I can get this on Monday when Gabe gets back."

Archie nodded. He was an incredibly nerdy blonde boy. He was skinny and wore glasses. His features also made him look like he was much younger than he was.

"No problem, Chastity. It's getting pretty bad out. I think it's starting to snow." He was right. As soon as he said it, the snow started to fall. "Come on." She jogged to the passenger side and got in.

"Anyway, how's the cases going?" she questioned. "Like, anything groundbreaking?"

"It's supposed to be confidential," he scolded. Chastity rolled her eyes. "Fine. There's a big murder thing that I _may_ get if they find the culprit. However, I think it's not likely since…" he trailed off, lost in thought. "Well, let's just say that the killer covered his tracks pretty well."

"Ah. Anything else?" she asked.

"Always inquisitive, I see. I'm telling you, once a culprit is found, I will be assigned as the public defender. Which means I don't get much work because no one's going to prosecute all of the tagger and vandalism cases."

"What about that one girl that they found?" she asked. "Amber or whatever?"

He sighed. "Lost that case. It was stupid, though. All it would be is pleas."

She nodded. "I suppose."

"Anyway, make sure you read that chapter for Monday. I'm sure you just adore law terminology and reading with a dictionary aside you."

"The words aren't _that _hard." He chuckled.

"Sure they aren't."

XX

Geoff dialed Carlos' number.

"Hey, man," he said. "I got orders to do it tonight."

"Hell no. Put it off," Carlos replied. "I have a sick Jessica here and it's snowing. Plus it's super late. Postpone it for a long, long time."

"Why, because we can't find anyone?" he asked. "I'll work on getting it pushed to after Christmas. No one wants to ruin family holidays. I feel like crap like now, man." Carlos sighed into the receiver. "And I still need to get my sister home."

"You're coming down with this flu, Geoff. Take it easy."

"Alright," he said, hanging up. He turned to his sister. She sat on his counter, crossing his legs and staring at him condescendingly. "What?"

"Your lovely sister doesn't understand why she's being ignored. I thought we were going over transfer records today."

He snickered. "Yeah, we were. Until I started feeling terrible and you started being a bitch." She smacked his arm and he shoved her off. "You should go home, Martha."

"Remember? It's Marissa, baby brother. I screwed up Martha Rutherford. Marissa Cleveland suits me." He nodded.

"Ah, yes. The big Rutherford scandal." He chuckled. "Where the princess of the Rutherford business ruined it the second our father died." She glared at him. "What? It's true. Anyway, you really _should_ get home. Justin can't do it alone."

She scoffed. "He can be taken care of by his queer father."

"Your ex-husband? Take ownership, Martha." She rolled her eyes. "Oh, sorry. Marissa. I forgot that all good Rutherfords live double lives."

"You don't. You just live an extraordinarily shitty one." He smiled. "Now you should really go." She shook her head. "What, are you going to leave your kid at home? Are you really that irresponsible of a parent?"

She slipped off of the counter. He watched her as she walked over to the window and watched the snowfall. It was going to be cold and pretty disastrous if the news forecasters were right.

"Please, Martha. Go home to your son. Don't do this."

"I raised one kid and look how he turned out. Look at you, Geoff. Is crime really how you like your life to be?"

Geoff sighed. His sister was never very articulate. But she had a point; his life was not as he preferred it. If he was able to call the shots, he'd be doing something stupid like cooking or playing sports for a living.

"No," he said finally. "But it's a living."

She scoffed. "I'll call the little shit since you insist." She walked off to his room. Geoff sighed.

He'd have to sleep on the couch since she was over.

XX

"Mommy?" Sofia called. "I – I think Marcus is sick. He's really hot and won't wake up." She coughed and held her stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick…"

"Baby," Isabel said, jumping up to her daughter. "Ben! Can you get Marcus? I think Sofia's going to be sick."

Sure enough, she started to throw up all over the carpet.

She trembled and Isabel picked her up and took her to the bathroom. "It's okay, it's okay sweetie. You're okay. It's alright."

The bathroom was freezing. Isabel stole a glance out the window and noticed all of the snow building up. She turned on the sink and got a washcloth out for her daughter.

"Sofia, it's okay," she consoled as the girl cried. "It's okay. You can just rest and get better and have ice cream. How does that sound for you?"

She nodded and sat down. Isabel took the washcloth to her face and cleaned it up.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked. Isabel shook her head.

"Of course not, baby. I'm going to carry you back to your room, okay? Now come on," she said, lifting her daughter up and striding back to her room. "It's alright, baby."

She set Sofia down on the bed and touched her forehead. "Hot," she commented to Benjamin. "How's Marcus?"

"He's waking up now, but he's more serious than her. He needs water," he said. She shook her head. "What?"

"He won't be able to keep it down, do you think?"

"Well, we can't get to the hospital easy enough in these conditions," he said. "We'll have to wait for the roads." Marcus' eyes flew open and he sat up.

"Water," the little boy croaked. Benjamin picked him up from his bed as Isabel jetted to the kitchen to fill a water bottle. She returned with two, one for Sofia and one for him. He took it and drank it eagerly.

Almost immediately he started to gag.

"No, honey," Isabel said, taking him from Benjamin. "Don't throw up, baby." Benjamin sat at the foot of Sofia's bed and told her to lie down and rest. "God, what are we supposed to do?"

"Let them sleep and when they wake up check on them," Benjamin said. "Come on, kiddos. Go back to bed. It'll get better when you wake up."

Once the kids were situated, the two walked out of the room. Benjamin wrapped his arms around Isabel and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Do you really think Marcus is in danger?" she asked. He shook his head. "I'm just worried."

"Don't, honey. It's just the flu. We've all had it. They'll be sick but once they start drinking and resting it'll get better. You know that, Isabel."

"But this seems particularly – "

"Just because it's your son. Don't worry, okay? They will be fine. Now let's make some coffee. Since you're now a badass cop, you probably like coffee, don't you?" he joked. She cracked a smile. "There you are, Isa."

"I don't like coffee," she said slowly, "but tea would probably help." He kissed her neck. "That too."

XX

General Buzz Grunt lay awake in his apartment, staring at his ceiling. His boys were up already, wrestling or something. The temperature told him that it had snowed already and that it was cold out.

All of a sudden he got a phone call.

He hopped up and picked up the phone as fast as someone could say "General". "Hello?" he said attentively. "This is General Buzz Grunt."

"Sir, we require your services in Riverblossom immediately," the person said. "There's – there's been an incident."

"Well, shoot," Buzz said, rubbing his all-but-shaved head. "I would but we're snowed in here."

"We're snowed in here as well, but that hasn't stopped anyone else from getting over here." Buzz put on his robe and jogged down to the garage. He tried to open it but it wouldn't budge with the electronic lifter. He was able to lift it with his arms but it was not useful because snow had piled up outside. There was no way he was getting his car out.

He sighed and went to pick up his cell phone.

"Look, I would drive the eight hours up to Riverblossom but my garage is covered in feet of snow," he said. "Tell me the issue and I can see what I can do at home."

The speaker sighed. "Fine. I'll need to give you the details. Basically, the political movement has been… active overnight."

"What do you mean? Spit it out," he said.

"Riverblossom is under martial law. There was a giant riot after a leader was shot and a family was kidnapped and held for ransom. There were people getting killed so the military is kind of ruling it. We're worried about the well-being of the people there," he explained. Buzz considered that.

"And what should I do?"

"Well, we needed you to command since people _listen_ to you and you could organize it – "

"Well, that'll be pretty damn hard considering I'm snowed in," he said. "Do you want me to call in or something?"

The man sighed. "I don't know what you should do. But we really need your help. The generals there… they aren't good. We really need your help." Buzz sighed. He had a point. The Riverblossom people were spineless country folk who believed nothing bad would happen in the world.

The only problem would be the fact that trade and exports from there would be halted if what he was saying indicated anything. Riverblossom supplied lots of crops to the rest of the cities. Prices could go up if situations weren't resolved.

"Tell me what to do. Call me back once you have orders for me." He hung up the phone and grinned. Making up orders was one thing that Buzz excelled in and no one he knew was good at.

XX

Jessica sat up levelly and faced Carlos. He sat at the edge of the bed. She simply crossed her hands and stared.

"Yes?" he asked, looking up from his computer to look at her. "What do you want?"

She coughed. "To talk," she managed, shuddering from the ache in her spine. "I don't want to be your fu – "

"Don't," he said, closing his eyes. "You can break up with me if you'd like."

"We weren't _dating_, Carlos. We were screwing because you're rich. That's been my life. I follow money because I can't do anything for myself," she said. "I'm a – a stereotypical blonde damsel-in-distress. So I follow men to do it. But you're… you're dangerous. I know what you do, Carlos, and it's scary. I don't want to be part of that." She sighed and fell back. "I want out."

He closed his laptop and looked at her. "You want out?" She nodded. "You know it's not that easy."

"Why not?"

He got up to the door. "Because you know too much." She frowned and got up after him.

"What do I know?"

He turned suddenly. She noticed he had bags under his eyes. Was he really worrying about her?

"You know all about who I trade with. You hear about my business partners and they're all very sensitive subjects. You know – you have enough information for a smart person to put the big secret together," he said. "And people are. So you need to shut up and I need to keep my eye on you."

_Just one,_ she thought ironically. "What are you saying?" she asked. He poured a glass of orange juice and pushed it toward her.

She took a sip as he scratched his arm. "I'm saying that even if you want to part ways, you're staying here until it resolves itself."

"You can't make me."

"Yes, I can," he said. "You're in no state to leave and I used to fight for a living. If you leave, I'll do whatever I can to keep you here." She set the glass down calmly and kept her gaze with him.

Even as a child, Jessica didn't shy away from things. She wasn't ever liked very much, always considered trailer trash, so she developed a tough exterior to most people. In high school, she developed a personality that allowed her to get guys to like her.

But she felt done. It was tiring to have to perform for assholes who didn't really care and as they got older, the more shit they got into.

"Is that a threat?"

"Promise, Jessica. I promise you aren't leaving me." She drank the rest of the juice.

"I have different plans than that." She set the glass down and walked back to his room.

XX

Acacius chuckled at Kim. "Do you not like comedies?"

"They're stale," she said.

"Why, do you provide enough humor?" he asked. "I think it's funny enough."

"This is the most boring movie ever," she sulked. He kept laughing. "Why can't we watch a violent movie and think about superheroes and how lame our life is?" she asked.

"I had no idea you were into that stuff. Aren't all girls into this romantic flowery stuff?" he asked. She rolled her eyes. They were on opposite ends of the couch. Kim had discovered he wasn't very touchy. He was the opposite of Gabe in a lot of ways – he cussed a ton, joked a lot, was loud about what he was thinking, and wasn't afraid to make fun of people.

They were different people. Neither of them was bad, but there was a definite type. Sam and Kim differed in that respect.

"This isn't a romantic comedy, dumbass," she said, glaring at him. "This is simply a comedy for, like, four year olds."

He kept laughing. "It's not that funny!"

"You're pretending to be annoyed but you really love watching this shit for four year olds," he said. "It's very funny." She rolled her eyes. "Aw, stop it, sweetie."

"Don't call me that," she said acidly. He widened his eyes at her. "Shit. Sorry."

"Surprising is all, duck," he said. It was her turn to start laughing.

He sighed and walked over to her. "You aren't used to being the little figurehead, are you? Your sister is but you aren't."

"More like the eyesore," she admitted. "Why?"

"Because you take all the initiative. Something tells me a guy would love that in a girl." She nodded and he took a seat beside her.

"Yeah, but no one likes me," she said. He shook his head.

"No, guys are scared of you. Your sister is perfectly inviting. You, however, are pretty intimidating with your attitude and your hair."

"My hair? What's wrong with my hair?" she asked, instinctively running her hands through it. He shook his head. "Fine, if nothing's wrong then you're just being a jerk about it."

"I like your hair," he said, ruffling it. She blushed and crossed her arms angrily. "And really, it was a compliment. You sure are hard to please." She sighed. "Kimmy, come here." She looked up at him. "It's not bad."

"Well, I would hope not."

"You're difficult," he said. He moved her over to him and wrapped his arms around her. "I need difficult."

"Why?"

"I need to know you're worth it," he joked. "C'mere." He pressed his nose into her shoulder. "Let me show you why girls are supposed to just stand there."

"I don't get it," she said. He ran his fingers down her cheek.

He finally kissed her.

"That's what I mean. Guys are better at this stuff than girls."

"That's sexist," she pointed out.

"I don't hear you protesting." She shrugged her assent. He kissed her again. "Now you get your making out during a movie."

"So this was all a big plot to get me to do what I want without letting me do what I want? Did I get that right?" she asked. He nodded.

"I've got a smart one on my hands! Someone make a fucking note."

"You're a jackass," she said.

"Your jackass?"

"Most definitely," she replied. "What do _you _want that I can screw up?"

"For you to shut up," he muttered, kissing her again. He exhaled on her cheek and she couldn't help but smile, knowing that they were both annoying each other.

_Annoyingly pleasurable. _

XX

Phoebe had Frances pinned to the wall.

"Worthless piece of crap," she spat. "He deserved to die."

"What are you talking about? I don't even know what you're saying! Let me go," Frances pleaded. "Please!"

Phoebe dropped her. She walked away, scoffing in disgust. "You're just as worthless as you used to be."

Frances sighed and rubbed her neck. "I don't know what you're talking about, Phoebe. Please, explain this."

Phoebe went to her bed and flopped down. Her outfit clung to her form and she rolled over. She rubbed her forehead. "This dumbass. He didn't have my supplies."

"Oh… no," Frances said, having an idea of what was going to happen. "No, no, no. Tell me you didn't."

"I blew his _fucking _head off. Now there's a giant search for the killer. No one will find me, but I… I feel a little remorse." Frances felt a sprig of power surge through her chest. It wasn't enough, though. Their power struggle was wearing on her. She was tired and hungrier because of the tax on her. Things were going in Phoebe's favor fast.

She stood. She had never felt so small.

"_You don't deserve this crap. No wonder no one ever liked you," Kay said. "I don't like you."_

"No wonder you're such a weakling," Phoebe jeered. "I'll win this and slaughter you. That's been the goal. We just never had what was enabling us to fight this much before. It's gleeful."

Frances didn't say anything.

"We never fought that much back then," she said. "Now my life isn't all boring. Not boys, not parties, and not fancy clothes. Something meaningful."

_You've had enough of that,_ Frances thought sadly.

"I had enough of that back in the nineteen hundreds. All I did back then was party and have fun. Now it's time for the real issue. Everyone wants power. And this city has power." She chuckled. "Aw, little sister, are you still upset that I took your only boyfriend?"

_No, _she thought. But she clutched her hands together. Her sister had an explosive temper. Soon it would be worse.

"I remember having to look after your ass every single day after school," she said. "How much you kept talking about dad. He was a drunk, idiot. A stupid drunk." Phoebe sighed. "Always out with his business folks."

"He was doing business," Frances insisted."

"Shut up. He does business as much as I do good things for people." She giggled. "Oh… what was my stupid old name?"

"Kay," Frances said bluntly.

"Kay. And why did I change my last name again?"

"New dad," she muttered.

"Right dad," she corrected. "Don't you love being unusual witches? We get to retain our personalities and do whatever we want!"

She turned and glared at Frances acidly. "Did you find Kim's boyfriend yet? That's the only thing stopping you from dying."

"No. Why should I?" she challenged. Phoebe immediately shot her in the shoulder with her wand. Frances collapsed.

Her sister stood over her, smirking and shaking her head disapprovingly. The fear of her sister hadn't gone away; it had only gotten worse. The memories of torturing in school, of bad names, and of fights only echoed in her head. Now she was the same person only with more power.

"Because I'll kill you like the last guy," she said. "Now get on it."

"But it's snowing out," Frances protested, holding her shoulder.

"All the more incentive to get it done."

XX

_TL;DR: Gabe, the Baldwin kids, Jessica, and Geoff get sick. Sam takes Gabe to her house. Kim and Acacius are snowed in at his house. Archie offers to take Chastity home. Geoff and Martha spat about her history. The Baldwin parents try to take care of their children. Riverblossom is under martial law and Buzz Grunt isn't able to do anything about it. Jessica and Carlos talk about their relationship. Acacius and Kim talk more. Phoebe and Frances' history is finally revealed. _

_TL;DR PLOT POINTS: Jessica will never escape and Frances and Phoebe are sisters. Also, Phoebe and Carlos are subtly psychopathic. _

XX


	17. Chapter 15: Deflated

_A/N: Ugh. I've been sick and busy and tired. Break is coming soon though so hopefully I can get less bored with this. Seriously, though, fun times coming up if it's planned right _

_But this is kind of dark. Kind of a downer… Next chapter will be Christmas in March, so hooray. _

Chapter 15: Deflated

"Dang it," Isabel muttered under her breath, checking her watch. She was late home again. Benjamin would be pissed.

It had been a few weeks since their kids had gotten sick and Christmas was slowly closing in. She had the gifts taken care of but the spike in crime around the time – the need for money around the holidays always skyrocketed – had kept her busy.

Too busy, she realized, than she needed to be.

She burst in the door. "I'm sorry," she said the second he faced her. "There was someone down at the – "

"Whatever, Isabel," he said tiredly. "Did you get the gifts for the kids?"

"Yes. But Ben, I'm really sorry. I couldn't leave. It's just… there's more stuff going on lately," she finished lamely. He nodded.

"I understand." And then he walked away. She sighed.

Sofia walked up to her and gave her a hug. "Hey, mommy. I got an A on my math test," she said. Isabel ruffled her hair. "Marcus wants to get a present for me and Etsu. Do you think we can go shopping soon?"

Isabel nodded and kissed her forehead. "Goodness, you two are growing." Marcus was already up to her hip. He gave her a hug.

"What's for dinner?" Sofia asked. Isabel walked to the kitchen and stood next to Benjamin. He gritted his teeth and ignored her, to her dismay.

Isabel sighed deflated. "Honey, please. Talk to me. I told you that I tried as hard as I could to get home – "

"It doesn't matter," he repeated. "Help me make dinner."

"Don't do this to me," she pleaded. He'd been more and more distant ever since she'd been promoted. "Benjamin – "

"Shut up, Isabel," he said. "Just… be quiet."

Isabel recoiled internally. What he had said was harsh. But she tried to ignore it because flipping out around her kids would be frightening to her and them.

_Just stop_, she thought.

_Keep going. _

XX

"Hey, Sam," Kim said. Sam sighed. "What?"

"I haven't seen you for, like, five days," she said. "Are you okay?" She nodded.

"Yeah, of course. I just got my new job and am working on stuff like that. Sorry. Do you want to do something?" she offered. Sam shook her head. She massaged her temples and shut her eyes.

"Don't you get it, Kim? I feel like I'm losing you. I lost you before and I don't want to lose you again. Don't go away." She said. "Please."

"I'm not, Sam. But you have your boyfriend. He will take care of you," Kim promised. "You're not a little kid anymore, Sam. You can take care of yourself." She got up to Kim.

"I don't need you, Kim. But I want you to be my sister," she pleaded. "You're my _twin_."

Kim glanced at her uneasily. "I have to go."

"Why?"

"I have plans." She walked up to her room.

Sam rubbed her wrist. Why was she pulling away? What did Sam do? She walked back to the kitchen. The house was cold. When Kim came home she would turn the heat on and it wouldn't be cold, but Kim wasn't home very often. And Sam knew she had something against sleeping at other people's houses.

The phobia had stemmed from a sleepover Sam had gone to and dragged her along. Kim had never wanted to go and the kids didn't want her there either. The other girls had told her that no one would ever like her and then they threw her clothes into the freezer. She'd left incredibly angry.

Sam realized that it might have been the reason she'd shut everything out in high school. It wasn't fair. Why?

_Why? _That was the question that everyone was asking. There was no answer, though. There never would be. Because the only answer would be _because_. There was no definite answer to it.

Sam bit her lip. Kim came back downstairs. "I'm sorry, Kim," she said quietly. "Please don't hate me."

Kim sighed. "I've never hated you, Sam. I love you. I have to go."

_In the end, everyone leaves, _Sam thought bitterly.

XX

Tara screamed at the sight of her father. He was lying on the floor of the apartment and was definitely not breathing. There were papers to the right of him and a bottle of pills to his left. She picked them up and examined them. If he was dead, she'd better be right.

She pulled her phone out and dialed Tank's number. Maybe he would know what to do. She looked over the little orange bottle. It was his antidepressants.

Only the entire thing was empty and he had a month's worth of pills in there.

"Shit," she said as the phone rang. "Tank, pick up."

"What's up?" he said as if on cue.

"My dad took all of his pills. I don't know if he's breathing."

"Call the police, not me!" he said. "I'm hanging up and coming over. Hold on. Ripp, get away you je – "

The line went dead. She dialed the emergency number.

"Hello, how may we help you?" the operator said.

"Yeah, my dad overdosed on his pills. He had, like, a month's worth and I'm scared and why would he do this to me?" she asked, her words spilling like vomit. "I mean sure I'm promiscuous and don't do what he wants and don't want his business or anything."

"Honey, calm down. You may be in shock. Would you state your name for me?"

"…and I broke up with my boyfriend but he didn't know we were dating and he didn't like anything I told him I hated him if when I see that."

She was breathing heavily then and her palms were really slippery. It was strange. She laughed a little.

"What's your name, ma'am?"

"Tara DeBateau. My dad's a bigwig at his business and if he dies it will go to shit. I couldn't let that happen to him because it would be my entire fault and how could I do that? It's silly how much he worries, though." She laughed again. "Entire." She blinked a few times, trying to focus the scene. "My father is lying by my feet and could be dead."

"Sweetie, would you sit down for me? You need to sit down?"

"No, I couldn't sit by my dead daddy."

She closed her eyes – just for a second, she said.

But it felt like an eternity because she kind of passed out.

XX

"Let me go home," Jessica said, stalking Carlos like a cat. She was cooped up and tired and she wanted, however strangely, her trailer. She wanted to move, too. And she had to get home to do that.

He shook his head. "I told you, I can't do that."

"I won't tell anyone. I haven't told for, what, a year or so? I won't. Let me _go_. I don't like your house." She hit the wall and went back to him. "I feel fine. Please, _please_, let me go."

He shook his head again. "I really can't."

"You fucking bastard!" she shouted. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life here!"

"And you won't. But until this spat blows over, you're staying here."

"Damn it!" she shouted, kicking the wall.

"Don't do that," he said automatically. He stared blankly at the wall, refusing to meet her eyes. "Don't break my walls."

"Don't keep me here!" she whined. "I need to start working and getting a job. I need to get out of this excuse for a life and start _living_. Start a family, get a life myself. Please. I'm changing."

Carlos got up angrily and pinned her to a wall. "You will _never_ change, you slut. You will always be a gold-digging moral less coward who hides behind men because you can't support yourself."

The words stung like a whip to her face. She didn't want it to be true. But it was, and Carlos knew it. He smirked knowingly and let her go.

"I don't care," she responded shakily. "I still want to go home." She stepped away. "I don't like wearing your clothes and having to mess with your stuff." She sighed. "I miss being _home_."

"I don't care." He returned to the couch. "At least I'm respecting that you broke up with me. You know how I am."

Her stomach turned at that. She knew _exactly _how he was. Carlos was the opposite of what most people thought of him. To people, he was nice, agreeable, humorous, and charismatic. But to people he didn't like, he was demeaning, cruel, disagreeable, and dark.

Apparently, Jessica wasn't a person to him.

She clenched her fists. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she retreated to the study. She had some work to do.

Carlos watched her leave. He had a lot of stress in his shoulders. Armand had been acting more withdrawn than he had usually been. Geoff was caught up with his sister. She had been acting more interested into his business since his husband had turned out to be as curvy as a right turn. He had his suspicions that Armand was part of it, but he couldn't prove anything.

He ran his hand through his hair. He _had _to keep her in his sights. She knew too much for her own good. If anyone asked her she wouldn't realize what she was giving away.

He stared blankly at the television. The news report was on, talking about the forecast for Christmas. He couldn't spend Christmas with Jessica. She didn't know what she was dealing with. It… she had been sucked into it.

The secret was too dangerous for even the mighty Carlos Contender to handle appropriately. He'd sucked in two innocent enough men to the scheme and they were in trouble…

He sunk his head in his hands. There were too many factors to think of. It was all too much.

"Isabel," he murmured. He'd tried to call her but she'd never been home. It had always been Benjamin.

He didn't like Benjamin. Whenever there was someone he didn't like but had to please, he could put on a decent enough face. His little niece was too good for Benjamin. Their children, although great, could have been better. If only she'd listened to him –

"Stop," he said to himself. "It's no use."

XX

Ramir browsed his files. The mysterious woman had millions of fluffy articles about her. That was all they were, though – fluffy. Nothing of substance was in the articles. He could only tell what was in her family and that she'd disappeared mysteriously. The town was full of mystery, though.

Pleasantview was the setting of soap operas as well as the country's most prolific data processing centers. It held a lot of drama – there were a lot of people considered rats there – as well as a large gap between the rich and the poor. The houses ranged from big to very small. There was a very stable government and a good schooling system. Crime was very low there. It seemed like a decent town.

That was the surface, though. There had to be stuff inside of there.

He pushed his hand through his hair. It was so _difficult _to piece things like this together. It wasn't about the artwork anymore. It was about the history of the girl in the picture.

But things were definitely shut down.

"Honey," Ana called. "It's late. Come to bed." He winked at her and took Lila. Bouncing the baby girl on his knee, she smiled at him and tried to grab his moustache. "She misses you. You keep researching that woman. She thinks you love her more than her."

"Oh, hell, no!" he laughed, turning off his laptop and kissing Ana on the lips.

"Swear," she said. "Lila is not going to be a foul-mouthed heathen."

He sighed. "Sorry, baby. Nothing can replace my two number one ladies. She's dead, anyway."

"That's sick, Ramir," Ana joked, taking Lila out of his arms. "Little Lila needs a nap, doesn't she?"

"You mean sleep," he said. "You need a _sleep,_ Lila." Ana giggled and walked off to Lila's pint-sized room to put her to sleep. He realized that they really needed more space. They needed to move out.

All he would have to do was plan the savings. It would happen. He would get the love of his life and his daughter and more children a house. It would be big and beautiful and lovely. His _life _would be big and beautiful and lovely.

Not that it wasn't already.

He set down his work and walked after her. He wrapped his hands around her waist. "How's my little baby doing?"

"Fantastic, Ramir. It'll be a long while until we see his little face, though," she said. He rubbed her stomach absently and nuzzled her neck.

"What makes you so certain it'll be a he?" Ramir questioned. She shrugged.

"We need a balanced household," she said, burrowing under the covers. "God, it's cold in here. When are we going to be moving out?" she asked.

"That's a lot of questions to think about, darling," he said affectionately. "But… we do need a balanced household. I'll turn up the heat before we go to bed. And when do you want to move out?" he reasoned. "It's up to you."

"I want a good nursery and stuff for my little Ramir," she said. "And the baby, too." He laughed and got up to turn up the thermostat. "Will this winter be over soon?"

"Definitely. Now I think it's time to sleep, baby. Goodnight, Ana," he called. "Goodnight, Lila."

"You mean you'll see her in a few hours, right?" she joked. He kissed her and fell into bed where the two started into their restful sleep.

XX

"Come _on_," Kim begged. "Why won't you – "

"Shut up, Kim," Acacius said affectionately. "Either one of your questions will not end in a yes. I told you that I'm a good kid."

"But if you're a good kid, then you'd let me – "

"Not that good," he interrupted. "So drop it, Kim."

She sighed and sank into the couch. They were at a coffee shop even though they didn't like coffee. She protested that the chairs were comfortable and that they had good muffins.

Of course, muffins didn't goad him into agreeing with her.

"Please?" she asked, unable to stop herself from giggling at his annoyed expression. "Oh my god, this isn't that much of a demand!"

"You're right. It's a lose-lose situation. Either one I pick, I lose."

"Not with – "

"_No_."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll stop."

"Good."

He waited for her to start up again, giving her a sideways glance every so often. She sat with her arms crossed, looking out the window sullenly. He smirked at her expression – it was really a silly matter. He didn't understand why she was so upset over it.

Finally, just as he was about to speak, she interrupted him.

"Come on. It's your dad or you – "

"You are _not_ meeting my father."

"Then come with me."

"Can I _please_ pick neither?" he asked. "I can't do parties. I have issues with parties. There are too many people and I'm antisocial."

"And psychopathic, I get that. But I don't want to go alone," she said. "It's a giant party for, like, business stuff. I don't know. Chastity's bringing Gabe and Sam and I was still invited. I really don't want to go."

"Then don't," he said. "If… who's throwing it, again?" he questioned politely.

Kim gazed off into the distance at the paintings on the wall opposite her. The chilled afternoons could not be spent in either's house, and besides, it was boring there anyway. Going out and talking a lot was more fun, especially after work or on weekends because they could spectate people and discuss whatever it was they decided on discussing.

"Geoff Rutherford."

He coughed. "No, you're not going. Why do I have to be out of town?" He turned to her. "Whatever you do, do not go to that party."

"Why not?" she asked. "Chastity knows him."

"That's because she's a goddamned mule," he growled. She looked up at him with a shocked expression. "Oh, god, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

She glanced at him concernedly. "No, you should have. Do you know him or something?"

He hesitated. She gave him another look and Acacius nodded, a nervous expression flitting across his face.

"What's to be worried about, then? He's a decent guy."

"I…" he trailed off. "He's dangerous, okay?"

"How do you know?"

"God… because I work with him."

XX

_A while earlier…_

"You're part of our work now, right?" Carlos asked Acacius levelly. Acacius made his best effort to look disinterested. It was a negotiation trick his father had taught him, because if his father could do anything, he could screw people out of deals.

He looked around the room and saw Geoff sitting in the corner. The files Acacius had perused earlier were in his lap and he was looking through them. Geoff had a flighty appearance around Acacius.

Their work was more than sketchy, Acacius had noticed. It was riddled with big business names and criminal overlords alike – all mashed up into a contrived plan including a lot of shady activities. Money going missing? This would have to be the answer to all of it.

Acacius stretched. Keeping people on their toes was also a useful bargaining chip. Sometimes they would lower their deals.

However, Carlos was almost as level headed as Acacius and knew all of the tricks. The information had come with age.

He was absolutely terrifying, Acacius knew.

"What's in it for me?" Acacius asked, folding his hands. He got up to look at the shelves. Pictures of a redheaded woman and her family stood on the wood, the frames carefully dusted and taken care of. He doubted that was his daughter, though. He didn't seem like the type to have kids. He was a wild card.

Geoff took out a briefcase and tossed it to him. "You get a shitload of money."

Acacius opened it and glanced over the contents. There were bricks of money but below them were packets of information. All of them were titled Project Belladonna.

"I don't want the money," he said, taking the paper and handing it back. "I don't need it. But I'll work with you."

He walked out of the house, taking his recorder out of his pocket and turning it off, and tucked the papers under his shirt. This was going to be an interesting ride.

He wondered how long he could hide it from his father.

XX

"What?" Gabe asked in the middle of making out with Sam. Ever since he had gotten better his sex drive was on super power. She had paused for a moment, but he could already sense that something was wrong.

She shook her head. "No, it's okay."

"Obviously it's not. What's wrong?" he asked, smoothing her hair back. She shook her head. "God, quit being so self-sacrificing. What's wrong?"

She glanced at him hesitantly. He crossed his arms at her. "Kim. She's… I haven't talked to her in weeks."

"So? You two have completely different interests. You don't _have _to be joined at the hip. That was kid stuff." She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "What?"

"You don't _get_ it, do you? You didn't have siblings. The closest thing you had was Chastity and you two were close school friends. Kim and I grew up together. We had our severe downs and our fantastic highs together. We were a team. Twins _feel_ each other. We have a sort of empathy that no one else shares." She took a deep breath. "And she's shutting me out again."

"Again?"

"High school," she started, "was a dark period for both of us."

_Yeah, dark doesn't really cut it,_ she thought. _More like hell on earth because she was tortured for being a slut and my friends were doing it. _

She shook her head and turned back toward him. "So this isn't really kid stuff. I'm not making enough effort."

"And this is my fault?" he asked.

"Where did you get that?" she asked. "I never said that."

"But you mean it."

She pursed her lips before getting up and putting her jacket and shoes on. She was… done. Too much stress from work and Kim and now Gabe was enough.

"I'm going home," she said. "I am going to lie on the couch and watch soap operas until I get hungry and then I am going to get something I will regret later."

"You're leaving?"

"Duh," she said. "Stop trying to pick fights."

As she left, Gabe sunk his head in his hands. It was too much for both of them.

XX

"What should we do?" Sofia asked Sally. The two were having a sleepover at Sally's apartment. Even though it was cramped, it was better than sleeping at Sofia's house. "We…"

"I don't want to talk about it," Sally decided. "If… it's in the news," she said. "Why did we have to see that?" She opened her book. Sofia spied a new grave on the grave page.

She grabbed it and looked through it. "So the guy wasn't supposed to die?"

"It doesn't work like that. The future isn't set in stone. A general idea – like the three expected deaths – is put in place, but it changes, like this guy. Split decisions and stuff. But yeah, it seems like a lot of it is inevitable." She showed Sofia her new book. "I know that I get married but I don't know who. I guess I don't know him yet." Sofia looked through that book.

The two were very close friends. They had braided the other's hair more times than they could count. Sleepovers were a regular occurrence. Their secrets were both of theirs, not just one's. And Sally knew they would remain friends for a very long time.

Unfortunately, things changed. And things were changing very quickly.

Someone got angry but calmed down a lot, causing violent, rash actions to appear and disappear. She suspected it was Phoebe. They were terrible to look at. Whenever she decided to do something it put Sally into a nightmaric state. It sucked when it actually turned into a nightmare when she was sleeping.

Sofia sighed. "Mom and dad went at it again. I'm really worried. All mom is trying to do is help our family and follow her dream. And how's Marcus going to do with all of that tension?" Sally nodded thoughtfully, doodling in her project book.

Her art had taken off. She was getting really good. Sometimes she saw herself as a desk worker but sometimes she saw her as an artist in the future. She wasn't confident enough to mark any of it down.

"Yeah. All dad and Vivian do is talk about the baby. They're all excited for Chen and what he's going to bring to the family. It's sickening. Boys are supposed to be gross and I'll get stuck taking care of him."

Etsu looked up from her bed. "I'm still here," she sulked. Sally rolled her eyes and pointed to the door. Usually they got kicked out to the couch. Sofia grabbed the blankets and headed out.

The view from the window was snowy. It would probably be a white Christmas.

"You know what sucks?" Sally said. "There probably won't be any gifts for me because of that new house. And even if there were, they wouldn't know what to get me. Especially Vivian."

"Didn't you say that Vivian got to know you when you went shopping?" Sofia asked, going to the cabinet and lifting some crackers out. "Mm. I love these things."

"Yeah," she complained, "but she doesn't like art."

"How can you not like art?"

"I don't even know," Sally sulked, sketching in her book. "Anyway, she's totally obsessed over my hair. I don't get it. It isn't that cool, it's just curly. But it's also brown, which is boring as heck."

Sofia shrugged. "I like your hair." Sally smiled. "Alright, even though it totally sucks, I have a present for you. Do you mind it early?" she questioned. Without waiting for the answer, she went to her overnight bag and materialized a paper bag. "It's wrapped badly."

Sally accepted the package and looked inside. There were two wrapped components and a card. She took out the card first. It was hand drawn but on the front were two laughing girls who resembled Sally and Sofia.

_Sally,_

_Even though we weren't very close, we now are and I wouldn't trade you for the biggest piece of chocolate in the world. We're best friends forever. _

_Keep drawing you star!_

_-Sofia_

"That's so sweet," she said, setting it down. She took out one wrapped piece and opened it carefully. It was a hair clip with a crocheted flower on it. "Did – did you make this?"

Sofia nodded. "Is it bad?"

"No… it's beautiful," she said, pinning her hair with it. "Wow, thank you so much. This… this is great."

"There's more," she reminded her friend. Sally took out the last part.

It was a pink pencil case. There were tiny roses on the sides and white stripes running down the sides. It was delicate and casual, but it seemed like it applied to daily use.

"Inside," Sofia said. Sally unzipped it. Inside were two very expensive art pencils. "I thought you could use some more pencils since you always use your school ones."

Sally set the gifts down and gave her friend a hug. "This gift," she said, "has been more than anyone has given me." Sofia hugged her friend back. "Now… I need to top this."

Sofia giggled and returned to the couch. She ate some more crackers.

Sally joined her.

XX

Armand was in the hospital. It wasn't a pleasant place. It was too clean and the nurses were too brusque. His daughter wasn't there. Apparently she was resting at home with her new friends, from passing out from the sight of him.

Being audited would screw up their entire plan. No one had visited him, though, so he had kind of relaxed.

But only kind of.

It was a nice and quiet night. He couldn't get to sleep so he was watching some news alternated with cartoons. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep…

The door opened. He figured it was another nurse.

Boy, was he mistaken.

"Hey, Armand," a familiar voice said. "Get your ass up. I need to talk to you."

He sat up and stared into the crystalline blue eyes of Jessica Peterson. "What?"

"Heard you ripped off my suicide stint," she said. "Spill."

"Why should I tell you?" he sneered. Jessica simply walked over to him and put a finger on the machine. "God! I'll tell you."

She snickered and turned to him. "Carlos is keeping me as his prisoner. I snuck out because he was rather stressed over you. Why, will you ruin his business?" she asked.

"I'm getting audited," he said matter-of-factly. "When did you grow up? Last I checked you were a little whore who decided that a guy at my business convention would give you a good time."

She rolled her eyes. "Considering how abusive you were that weekend, I had the right to run to the nearest person who wouldn't hit me."

He scoffed. "Whatever. What do you want, Jessica?"

"Oh," she said, a grin crawling onto her face, "I want so much out of you." She opened her backpack. "I have a lot of information that Carlos has been hiding from you." She slapped the pile of papers onto his lap. The first paper had his name and a large amount of obviously illicit activities – from embezzlement, which weren't fabricated, to voluntary manslaughter, which were likely fake – which she knew would push his buttons.

His expression said it all. She smiled. "We have a lot to talk about."

XX

"It isn't making sense!" Phoebe screamed. "Who is taking this power? If it isn't going to you and it's not going to me, then who's getting it?"

Frances shook her head at her sister. "I don't know. I don't understand the deal with it."

"That redheaded _bitch_ arrested half of the graffiti force. That makes the bad people lose steam and gives you power. But it doesn't give you this much." She paced back and forth as quickly as Frances thought possible. She was going to go over the edge and Frances was going to have to take it.

It wasn't fair.

"I am frustrated!" Phoebe explained. "So frustrated that I'm barely in control of my actions."

Frances sighed. It was going to be a long night.

Who was she kidding? It was going to be a long life. It already had been.

XX

_TL;DR: Isabel and Benjamin get into a fight. Kim ignores Sam. Tara's dad overdoses and she passes out. Jessica isn't allowed to leave Carlos' house. Ramir and Ana have a decent relationship. Acacius and Kim butt heads and Acacius admits he works for Carlos. Then he has is very own flashback sequence. Sam storms out of Gabe's house angrily. Sally and Sofia share a tender moment over their friendship. Jessica finds Armand in his hospital and they decide they need to talk. Frances and Phoebe share frustration. _


	18. Chapter 16: Honest Living

_A/N: Internet points to those who name that reference in the title. It might help you understand the chapter setting some more… _

_This is a very, um, dark chapter. There is a touch of… death and threats of death. Sorry. _

Chapter 16: Honest Living, Honest Living, Honest Living

Geoff had been absent from Connor's household for as long as he could remember and he was struggling to pay rent. The glass from the broken windows wasn't even cleaned up well and the windows were taped over instead of being fixed. He couldn't get his mind off of

Couldn't get his mind off of

Off of

Off

Samantha Cordial. It was like a broken record. He couldn't concentrate at work. The day before Chastity had mouthed off to him and since he had been bumped up in command since Armand was recovering in the hospital, he had fired her. She reminded him too much

Too much

Too much

Much

Of her.

His mind was a broken record. His eyes twitched a lot. He didn't have hobbies anymore. All he could do was tap his pencil. And since Geoff wasn't home he didn't function properly.

Finally he came home the day of Christmas Eve. "Get up. You're a mess," Geoff said, pulling his roommate up by his jacket. "Damn, when was the last time you showered?"

"Two weeks," he said abruptly. Geoff shook his head disappointedly. "Two weeks, seven hours, thirty five minutes."

"I don't care. Take a shower, put on a nice suit, and we need to get going. I have a gig I need to take care of and you need to cover for me." He walked upstairs. "When's the last time you cleaned your room?"

"Four months. Four months, two weeks – "

"Shut up!"

Connor followed his roommate's orders and marched upstairs to get a suit and tie out. "I forgot to tell you, we're also hosting a Christmas party. Tomorrow. So get your shit together. We're inviting all of the young adults here. It'll be huge."

"Samantha?"

"Yeah, I invited Sam. God, your obsession with her isn't healthy. She doesn't even have a decent rack." Connor shook her head.

He couldn't tell anyone what he liked about her except that he needed her like a drug and he was going through withdrawal. A lot of withdrawal.

His steady job kept him occupied a little bit but he couldn't keep his mind off of her black hair, green eyes, pale skin…

And her boyfriend. He got in the way a lot.

"Geoff!" a female voice shouted. "Let's GO!"

"I have to get Connor first, Martha," he said. "Shit, Marissa." Connor frowned as he struggled his suit on. "Alright, Connor, let's go. I have to talk to Carlos as well."

_Who's Carlos? _

XX

"You nervous, sweetie?" Ana asked her husband, straightening his tie. He shrugged. "You're just addressing the entirety of the city on Christmas day. There's no problem."

He shrugged. "Stage fright, I guess. Do you have Lila's bag?" Ana grinned and nodded, holding it up. "Do you have the baby?"

"She's sleeping. I'll leave in an hour or so. Just concentrate on delivering the best gosh darned speech you can get!" she said, pecking him on the cheek. He held up a finger and reached into his pocket.

Giving her the present, she also had one of her own. "Open it," they both encouraged.

For Ana were a necklace and a piece of paper. For Ramir was a tie clip. "Ana, this is fantastic," he said, touching the tiny eagle on it. "Thank you so much baby."

"This necklace is so pretty! Thank you!" she exclaimed.

"Open the paper," he said. She obeyed

Her deep brown eyes flitted across the page, frowning at the words. "What…" She continued reading, unable to ask for his help yet. "Is this… our new house?"

"Yes," he said, his grin unable to be hidden. "It's a four bedroom place – you know, in case we have another."

Ana began to laugh and then she started to cry. He wrapped his arms around her as she bubbled. "Thank you so much! This is the best present ever! I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Ana. But I have to go. See you after the speech. I love you." He saluted her and left. Her heart was in a flutter as she picked up the baby from her room. She spun her around.

"Little Ana, we have our new house! No more cramped apartments. It's all paid off, too! This is the best day of my life," she said, kissing her forehead. Indeed, it was the best morning of her life. Lila seemed to gurgle along, agreeing at their good fortune.

XX

"Doing this joint Christmas thing was an awesome idea," Sally commented to Sofia. The two were playing with their gifts as their families exchanged their gifts. They were gathered at the Baldwins and the families were getting along well.

Comments about Chen were rampant. Vivian was beginning to show a little and everyone was noticing. Their dynamic was kind of cute. In the corner Marcus and Etsu were playing with their new matching dolls. Marcus' was a little more action figure looking, but they were matching nonetheless.

Vivian and Isabel were hitting it off talking about work while Timothy and Benjamin were discussing new inventions that Ben was making.

"They're all getting along very well," Sofia replied. "Do you have anything on friendships with them?" Sally was sketching and she nodded. "Lemme see."

"Patience, grasshopper. Can you believe we started this tangent of the future?" Sofia smiled at her friend and nodded. "It's amazing, you know?" She sighed, handing over her notebook. The picture featured the families in the summertime, having a picnic in a park. Marcus and Etsu were chasing butterflies while Sofia and Sally were chatting up a boy on the nearest swing set. It was all very domestic. Vivian even had a visible baby bump.

Sofia giggled and handed it back. "Can't wait. Let's see the grave page." Sally turned white and turned to it.

She had sketched the month in – December – for the first grave.

It was the 24th of December.

"Time's running out," she whispered. "Someone's going to die."

"I hope it's not like that other boy," Sofia responded quietly. "I feel so bad for him."

They nodded as Isabel called for everyone to get ready.

XX

"Your mother," Jason Cleveland said to his son, "is insane." He had a glass of wine in his hand. They were dressed and were ready for the speech. They weren't really planning to go but they figured that they had nothing better to do. Also it was addressing apartment zoning and rent, so that was of interest to them.

He'd even given Justin a glass. Not too much but he figured it was a happy occasion and why not? "Yeah. I like living with you more than her, dad. She kind of went off the deep end after you got outed."

His father's face became solemn. "I didn't mean for it to become that big of a deal. I mean… I thought I could fake it until I made it, you know?"

"I get it," Justin said. "It doesn't make you a bad person."

Justin took a sip of his wine and kept eye contact with his father so he knew he meant it.

"So where's Tara?"

"We broke up, dad. She's probably hanging out with Tank and Ripp."

"They're nice boys," he commented. "Don't worry. You'll find a nice girl. There are a ton of plumbbobs in the sky."

Justin smiled and straightened his sweater. It was a happy situation to be in, just hanging around with his dad. He'd basically moved into his apartment. Even though it was smaller and less expensive, it was so much better than Marissa's. Hers was still and stiff, almost not for living in. His was so much more relaxed and comfortable. Not to mention that Marissa didn't come home for weeks at a time.

It was okay. They got by. Jason had gotten a job and they had eked their way along. Justin was even planning for college.

Things were looking up for them.

XX

"I don't want you to leave," Kim said, resting her forehead against Acacius' and sighing. "I want you to go to that party with me." He shook his head, kissing her lightly. "I have to, though. Even if they're dangerous, they wouldn't want anything with me." He shrugged.

"You can't be too careful. I'll be gone until New Years, okay? Maybe earlier if you're really lucky. I…"

"Love you too," she filled in, grinning at him. "Are you going to be able to catch the speech?"

"Yeah. I have to for my job."

"Your _taxi driving._"

"Exactly."

"You're full of shit, Ace," she said, kissing him again. "Now you get to give me that _awkward phone call_ where you tell me you love me in front of all of your guy friends." He rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed.

He snickered and leaned against the wall of the town hall. Since she was in politics she had to help with the setup and making sure the event ran smoothly.

"I don't have friends, Kim," he reminded her. "I really have to go, though." He seemed conflicted about giving her one last kiss. "Fine, I'll make it worth it."

He touched her slowly but then started to lose control of himself like he managed to around her. All that circled around his head was Kim when he was there. When she finally pushed him off of her, he knew it had worked by the pink in her cheeks.

"Alright. Now I really have to go be a slave for a week. I…"

She looked at him expectantly.

"Love you," he said quickly before walking to the taxi.

"Taxi driver my ass!" she shouted before walking inside the building. He snickered.

It would probably be the last spot of joy he'd have until seeing her again, considering he had to meet with Geoff and Carlos for a last time before visiting his hometown with his father for a week.

XX

The odd redheaded girl was there again and he was responsible for her transport, Buzz Grunt realized. He didn't mind her. She was just strange.

"Alright, boys," he said gruffly. "as you know, we need to get going for the speech because I have to secure it." Tank nodded and helped Tara up. If anything, she'd definitely helped bring the boys together. Tank was much more relaxed and Ripp the opposite.

Buck sighed and got up. He'd been left out of that mess. Buzz almost felt badly for not letting him go to school.

Either way, it was too late. "Hey, Tara, do you need a ride?" he asked cautiously. The girl beamed.

"Thanks, Mr. Grunt! That'd be great!" Tank high fived his brother.

Buzz figured they had planned to go after her romantically but settled on being a friend since she seemed to have an interesting type. She was very superficial to people until they got to know her, he realized.

She was a nice girl either way.

"Dude, I call shotgun," Ripp said, beating Buck to it. His youngest son cried out in protest.

"Dad!"

"He called it," Buzz pointed out. Ripp pumped his fist as they left the cramped apartment. Tara talked to Tank, paying attention to him.

He was glad. Tank had never been liked very much in Strangetown. As long as he had one friend, he was glad. And again, she was a very nice girl.

Buzz just didn't trust her father.

"So what are you thinking about for college?" he heard her ask. This was a conversation he wanted to listen in on. His son hadn't talked about it too much.

He thought about it as they piled into the car. "Definitely going to Sim State. Obviously majoring in military technology. But… there's this experimental minor I really want to try." She waited patiently and so did Buzz. "It's… extraterrestrial studies."

That was surprising. How he acted about aliens would have turned him off from them, he figured. It wasn't because of their _heritage_ – he would hate Pollination Tech regardless – but it was the fact that he didn't know about them and it was unknown.

Again, it wasn't Tech. He was an asshole.

"Really? Why'd you pick that?" she asked.

"Well, if I go into the military, which I probably will, then we'll encounter stuff like that. Especially in the tactical division or the Air Force, which are my top picks. I want to be able to empathize and deal with that if I need to, you know?" She nodded her agreement.

Buzz smiled to himself. Maybe this move wasn't as bad as he thought it was.

XX

Chastity left her class early. She was close to testing out, which was good, because of her being fired and all. She had saved up money but it wouldn't last forever.

She missed her friends. The party on Christmas would hopefully be fun for her.

Sam and Gabe were already at home in classy clothing. Sam sported a short black skirt with tights along with a red sweater, and Gabe had a green sweater and dress pants. Chastity had on a purple dress.

"Ready for this?" she asked. "Where's Kim?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "She had to help out because she's a political person now." Chastity nodded. The two's postures were… different. They seemed mad at each other.

"Did you two get into a fight?" she questioned. The lack of response said it all. "Aw, man. Guys, you need to talk to each other. Don't let this stew. I'll drive you while you argue it out in the car. Hell, even have hate sex. I encourage it." Sam blushed and Gabe shook her head.

"Don't," he warned. He tried to put a hand on her shoulder. She moved away. "God, Sam, I'm sorry." She turned to him.

"I know you are," she said. "I just…"

Chastity cringed. "I'll wait in the car." Sam shook her head and followed her out the door. "Sam, you need to talk to him. He doesn't have the balls to."

"I can't," she said. "It's… complicated."

Chastity inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Look, you two are meant for each other. I can see it. The way you two move around each other looks like the three bolts you're supposed to have. Everyone gets a little tired once in a while, but don't throw this out. Please. You deserve to be happy."

"As does he," she said. "And I don't make him happy." Chastity snorted. "What?"

"He gets more ass from you than anyone ever got from me. Of course he's happy. Also you two _fit_. Your personalities are right for each other. Please give it a chance," she said. She opened the driver's seat. "Seriously, though. Take me up on that hate sex. It's mind blowing."

Sam rolled her eyes. "If you say so."

XX

"Tag it," Geoff said in a hushed tone by Carlos. He had Jessica right by his side, who crossed her arms and had a sour expression on her face. Acacius was there as well, attempting to look as nonchalant as possible with his father staring him down. "We get a really great tag right on the interstate and everyone leaving sees it. That will send him the message, don't you think? To stop sticking his nose where it doesn't belong."

It sounded fine to Acacius. All of their frivolous ideas really weren't going to do anything but he didn't bother correcting them.

Carlos had his eye on the blonde, who was looking around the crowd. He was looking for someone but didn't want anyone to notice who he was looking for. Jessica was glaring at him. "What, Jessica?"

"Let me _go_," she said. Acacius turned his attention back toward them.

"Alright. Get your gangbangers on standby and get it done," Acacius said. "I have to go take care of someone – something."

Carlos wished he was observant enough to realize what he was thinking about, but he couldn't. Acacius walked off into the crowd and quickly got lost.

Armand walked up behind them. "Hello," he said quietly. "Miss me?"

"Hell yes," Geoff said. "That suicide stint scared us. What happened?"

"You're selling me out," Armand said darkly. "I'm getting audited, though, and I'll make sure to bring you two down with me. How dare you try and expose what I did with Jason!"

"It's my _sister_, dumbass," Geoff hissed. Jessica chuckled quietly to herself, but Carlos heard it. He turned to her and pinned her to the wall.

"_What_ did you tell him?" he asked darkly. She giggled maniacally.

"You let me go, I tell you. Easy to bargain, isn't it?" she said. He let her go. "No?"

"You're staying in my sights, you bitch," he whispered. "Guys, calm down. We can work this out…"

XX

Frances and Phoebe fought in the crowd. Their tensions built up to a dangerous height. Frances was constantly battling her and she was constantly trying to settle this while Phoebe was trying to attack.

It was so _difficult_.

"Who is stealing – "

_No, no, no,_ Frances said, the color draining out of her face. _Please don't_.

"There's…"

_STOP IT,_ Frances screamed. _Don't hurt her. She is a little girl. She deserves to grow up and have a family and have friends and kiss boys. Don't ruin her life like you ruined mine. _

"A fucking seer! You knew about this seer! God, where is she? No – that's…"

"No, no, you can't do anything to her," Frances begged. "She's twelve, she doesn't deserve this, PLEASE!"

Phoebe's attention snapped to her sobbing sister. "_Don't ruin her life like you ruined mine_."

"Tough luck, you bitch," she replied, scanning the crowd for her head.

"NO!" Frances screamed, grabbing her arm and tackling her to the ground. The people around her all turned and looked at the spectacle. "You can't. _Please _leave her. I will do _anything_."

Phoebe got up. "_Please_," Frances implored. "Don't touch her."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because she is all I have left. If she lives my fight with you is not in vain. Please don't kill her," she begged. Phoebe's face changed as she realized everything the girl had been involved in.

"She saw me kill – "

"She will do_ nothing_ about it. The cops were taking care of it so she thinks that's sufficient."

Phoebe sighed. "For now I will leave her. But not forever."

Frances thanked her sister up and down even though it left her feeling dirty. Not forever meant a month at the most.

XX

Kim saw him coming up to her with a determined expression on his face. He wasn't looking at her though.

Acacius bumped into her. "I – "

"Sh," he ordered, mouthing "excuse me" at her and standing next to her, looking up at the building. "They're planning on tagging the interstate. Don't drive over there. This seems too much like a set up, though. Stay close to me."

"But pretend I don't know you," she said, smirking to herself and burying her hands in her pockets. "Got it."

"Don't be a pain about this."

"So much for goodbye."

"Shut up!" he ordered. She blushed. "Damn. Sorry. But they called in the head of the military. Something must be up."

Kim shook her head. "They got a death threat from a guy calling himself 'The One-Armed Strangler' who talked about jerking himself way more than killing Mr. Patel. They're required to do this when they get stuff about that. It's nothing to worry about."

Acacius scoffed. "That's silly." He paused for a moment. "Did you call me Ace earlier?"

"Yeah, should I not?"

"Nah, it's cute."

"Thanks."

XX

"Tara," Buzz said politely, "I'd like to talk to you."

The redhead perked up and bounded up to him. "Yeah, Mr. Grunt?"

"I – I'd just like to thank you for what you're doing for my boys. Tank especially. He's improving with you talking to him and stuff. He… friends were hard for him." She nodded.

"They're great kids, Mr. Grunt. Thanks for letting us be friends. I figured you wouldn't let me." She smiled.

"Aren't you, uh, Armand's kid?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Ah. Well, you don't… is he married?"

"I was adopted," she explained. "He used to be married to Jessica Peterson but they got divorced. She was cheating or something."

"I'm sorry."

"It's never that simple."

He closed his eyes, thinking back to his own wife. She had cheated… he had kicked her out…

She had died…

He shook his head, getting the thought out of his head. It was the wrong time. He needed to concentrate.

"So what are you planning on doing after high school?" he asked, starting a new conversation. She gave him a small smile and started talking.

XX

Ramir reviewed his flashcards. He sure was nervous for this. It was unusual. He'd given tons of speeches before.

But not to the whole town.

He shook his head and pulled out his Bella files, as he called him. Her story endeared him. He wanted to know what happened to her. An interview for her husband, Mr. Mortimer Goth, was scheduled for next week. He was determined. He was cunning.

But most of all, he was curious.

"Mr. Patel?" someone with a headset said. "You're on." He bounced on the balls of his feet and prepared to go out. _You can do this, Ramir. You're talking to Ana. _

He smiled and walked on stage. The crowd cheered – as they were expected to – and he waved back – as he was expected to.

He reached the podium and took a deep breath. To the right of the stage, Ana was there with Lila. He gave them a wink and kept going.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Belladonna Cove, I address you today, the day before Christmas, because I would like to address many issues you have been talking about. See, I didn't sign up for this. When my predecessor was killed, I… well, it wasn't expected." An unexpected laugh arose from the audience. "A regular comedian, huh? Anyway, I didn't quite know how to start it. My advisor really helped me in that area. Thank you, Mr. Carson." The crowd clapped for the man standing to the left of him. "Alright. So one of the issues that was brought up included apartments and rent and landlords."

He looked down at the giant crowd of faces. Every single one was listening. It was an incredible feeling to be in that much power. How could he _be_ in that much power? It…

"God, I'm really nervous. I haven't given a speech for this many people before." He pulled at his collar. "About rent and landlords. Landlords control the amount of rent, which, at this point, doesn't seem fair, since a fair amount of the apartments are owned by the city. Shouldn't we be fixing the rent since if a landlord doesn't like you they can up your rent?"

A murmur of assent echoed through the crowd who owned apartments. He exhaled in relief.

He spotted a blonde man talking to a black haired woman. They seemed to be approving of what he was saying.

_I'm not screwing up, Amma and Papa,_ he thought. _Ana and my babies, my town, my job…_

"So I'm instating that as a change in the form of a bill. I hope that works for you." He laughed nervously. "Alright, the second order of business is the amount of graffiti. We have busted a large amount of artists who have been tagging up the walls. The punishments, however, were light because we requested they do pieces of art for the art gallery instead. We can always use more art. It's beneficial to the community, the opposite of tagging because we want to keep Belladonna beautiful."

The crowd nodded, giving him the consensus that they agreed. He smiled, his confidence returning.

"The third order of business is a suggestion email. If anyone has a suggestion – "

_Bang._

He felt something like a punch to the right of his forehead. It felt… funny. Like the punch had gone through him. The bang had come with it. He couldn't think.

Wasn't he talking about emails? What about Ana? Had she seen what had happened? What had happ

XX

"Shit," Acacius muttered. "I did not expect this."

"I – I thought they said – graffiti?" she asked. He shook his head. "Did he – did he get shot?"

"Yeah," he said, dumbfounded. "God, I need to get you out of here."

"Won't that look suspicious?" she asked. He shook his head, pointing to an alley to their left. "But your dad – "

"You're more important," he said.

"Politics," she pointed out.

"You didn't check in. I made you late. They never knew you were here. You got sick, alright? This is – this is dangerous."

"THE DOG HAS FALLEN!" someone shouted from the building behind everyone. "THE SECRET LIVES ON."

"Goddamn," he whispered. "I have to deal with this. If this is what it's about, you need to stay." He spotted his father. "Excuse me."

She stared at him as he ducked under the stage and jogged away.

XX

Acacius had to walk under Ramir's sobbing wife and child. It was heart wrenching. He just wanted it to shut off. Well, he really wanted to go back to Kim and take her home and prove that he loved her more than his words betrayed, but he couldn't because he let his father own him.

_What a mess,_ he thought. _A man got shot. His wife and children… _

He couldn't imagine.

He finally came upon his father and stood expectantly with his hands clasped.

"Acacius," Arkadios snarled. "What were you doing, fraternizing with a woman?"

"Yes, father," he said. "What is this? I heard _nothing_ of it."

"Well," Arkadios began, "it seems as if a man got shot." Acacius crumpled under his sarcastic speech. "Get up. We have work to do if you ever want to get back to your slutty girlfriend." The two started walking out.

"Where are we going?" he asked, feeling as if he was transformed into a little boy again.

"My office, Acacius. Because I'm going to go through every file to get a motive for this and then we're going to find whoever killed him. He had a pregnant wife and a child, you know."

_Boy, when'd you get a conscience? _

He sighed and looked back for one last time. Taking a deep breath, he kept going with his father. It was like a weeklong Band-Aid. There was no option to just rip it off.

XX

_TL;DR: Shit happens. Connor is very disturbed about Sam. Ramir and Ana exchange presents early and are moving! Yay! Sally and Sofia's families get together for Christmas. Jason and Justin hang out and drink wine like classy guys. Acacius is leaving for a week and says his goodbyes to Kim. Buzz shuttles his boys and Tara to the speech Ramir is giving and hears about Tank's plans. Chastity tries to play relationship doctor with Sam and Gabe. Geoff, Carlos, Acacius, Jessica, and Armand discuss graffiti plans with Arkadios spectating. Phoebe figures out who the seer is but Frances begs her not to kill her. Acacius finds Kim again because he doesn't trust the speech – AKA he really wants to see her again. Buzz speaks briefly with Tara. Ramir gives a great speech. Just kidding, he gets shot in the head. Acacius makes his way back to his father, leaving Kim on a bad note, and finally actually leaves._

_I feel like a bad person. _


	19. Chapter 17: Just a Game

_A/N: Lots of cussing and not many POV switches. This arc is quickly coming to a close. This is a shorter and more intense chapter, hopefully and unhopefully. I'm sorry. _

_Official warnings: cussing, attempted bad things, violence, alcohol, frightening situations. Proceed with caution. Really. There is some… attempted rape. (gah spoiler). This is an intense chapter. _

Chapter 17: Just a Game

"Come on, Kim. Don't you want to come to the party with us?" Chastity tried. Kim shrugged. "It'll be fun. Don't be a stick in the mud."

Sam gave her sister a smile but Kim didn't return it. Her features were stony. "Are you upset about that shooting?" She shrugged. "Because it sucked, yeah, but it'll get taken care of."

Kim shook her head. "You don't understand. Since I'm in the political career track, I could be selected to _be_ the mayor. Granted, that's almost impossible, but it's going to be full of stress." She exhaled and shut her eyes. "And it's terrible, don't get me wrong."

Gabe returned to the Cordial's living room and ruffled Sam's hair. "What're we talking about, ladies?" Sam had forgiven Gabe even though she hadn't really internally. It was okay, though. They could work through it.

They had to work through it.

As for Kim, however, she wasn't certain. The girl seemed flighty and concerned.

"What about your friend Acacius?" Sam asked. "Can he come along?"

She responded almost too quickly. "He's out of town." She nodded.

"Please, Kim. Come along. It'll be fun," she begged. Kim shrugged.

"Why not?"

Chastity pumped her fist and got up. "We've got to get ready. It'll rock. Too bad my ex-boss will be there." She grinned and offered a hand for Kim. "Let's go. I'll loan you something."

"I can't go home?"

"Heck no!" she said.

XX

Acacius looked at his father levelly, his eyes achy and his head tired.

All he had done was go through files that Ramir had kept at his desk and they were all ridiculous. There were some politics and some miscellaneous stuff but most of it was about a girl named Bella who had gone missing.

Some of the theories were starting to make sense but be it because he was tired or because they were really that crazy.

It couldn't be that they made sense.

No way.

"Isn't this – "

"Shut up," Arkadios growled at his son angrily. "This is illegal, you realize."

Hm. That was fascinating. His father was admitting to doing something illegal. Usually he had a stupid cover up for it or a clause in a law book no one had even heard about. Acacius knew he was full of shit.

"You should get your license revoked, Acacius," he said. "You're not a very good lawyer."

Acacius closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He wouldn't talk. He couldn't talk.

"You can't succeed at anything you do. I should expect it. I mean, your whore of a mother couldn't keep a job either."

_But I do keep jobs. I keep three, actually. _He sighed and continued rifling through papers. _And my mother wasn't a complete whore. _

He smirked at that thought. _Can one be a partial whore? _

"What a worthless excuse for a son. You take after your mother."

"It won't work," he interrupted. "I didn't like her either."

"Then who was your favorite parent?" Arkadios prodded.

"The one I wasn't with," he replied coldly. He set the reports down. "If you wanted to talk we didn't have to snoop around a dead man's office."

"What, did that scare you? Poor little baby Acacius. What a fucking loser." His father pushed away from the computer and crossed his arms. "My son is all his mother."

"I look just like you, father," Acacius sighed. "Please let me work."

"You don't work."

"That's not correct," he said. "I hold down my classes at law school, drive high class citizens, and become your _lackey_ whenever you feel like it."

His father scoffed. "You have enough time for your slutty girlfriend."

"She's not like that! She's done!" he said, raising his voice.

Everything about his father ground on him. Even if they were alike in many ways, they weren't alike. He prayed they weren't alike. Acacius's biggest fear was turning into his father.

"She's just like your mother, you know. A black haired Genevieve di Arturo." Acacius clenched his fists together so hard his nails dug into his skin. "You say you don't like her. You're a liar, _Ace_."

"That's not my name."

"You chose my name. Why?" Arkadios asked. "I mean, Acacius isn't an inconspicuous name. So tell me, son. Why?"

Acacius didn't answer.

"Come on, you worthless piece of wiccan shit."

"Stop!" Acacius said. "If I have to be with you for a week and away from my girlfriend, then you can't do this to me."

"I'll do whatever I damned well please, Acacius." His father stood up. He circled behind him and slammed his hand on his shoulder. Acacius couldn't help himself and he flinched.

He closed his eyes and remembered what his father used to do when he lost his temper.

"Get up," his father muttered into his ear, "and take it like your mother."

"No."

"Shut up."

Acacius fell silent and obeyed like he had been conditioned to do.

XX

Connor Weir was a little too close to Sam for Kim's comfort. Apparently too close for Gabe's as well, as the two stood with their arms crossed.

Sam tried to look smooth and interested, but she just wasn't into it. The computer guy was talking to her, his body language screaming "Take me home tonight". Although, they were already at his house...

"Are you as uncomfortable with this as I am, Gabe?" she asked, glancing over to him. Gabe nodded. His brown hair was in a ponytail again, but this time he wore a fancier suit and jacket.

"That guy likes her. Have they ever even met before?" he asked angrily. Chastity walked up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"He works at my work," she said. "Gee, I wonder why I wasn't invited?" She pouted, her pretty face just making it look sexier. "Man, is the entire city here?" The three looked around and noticed most people: the Baldwins were low-rolling for the night, the Clevelands were there, although Marissa didn't look thrilled to be present, Armand was in a corner somewhere, staying away from Sam, and a group of sketchy looking fellows were gathered in a bedroom, Kim remembered. Chastity was right; everyone seemed to be there.

"This isn't a work party," Kim realized. "This is a full-blown party." Gabe nodded, rubbing his neck with his hand. Chastity squeezed his shoulder. She was completely sober for the evening, something strange of her. Kim had a drink in her hand, but it was a prop. She really just wanted to make the appearance and get out. There was something about the redheaded roommate of Connor that she didn't like.

A group of teens ran by the Clevelands. Marissa stood up and grabbed a boy in a sweater out of the crowd. The redheaded girl with him stopped. "Oh, that must be Justin," Kim realized. Chastity nodded.

"Why are they here?" Gabe wondered. "Especially Tara, Armand's girl. I didn't realize this was a party for all ages... you know, since there's insane amounts of alcohol here." Kim nodded, watching the threatening woman bark commands at her sheepish son. Armand got up and told his daughter something else, too.

Kim needed some air or some water, but she wasn't willing to take her eyes off of Sam. Connor was getting close to her. He was getting too close to her, and Sam was starting to look too uncomfortable. Both Chastity and Kim lunged toward her at the same time but were caught by Gabe.

"We need to be respectful," he hissed. "Until he physically tries to impose…"

"Oooooh shit," Chastity said as Connor grabbed her hair and tried to kiss her.

"Fuck that," Gabe said, walking over to them. Kim knew Sam was shaking. Chastity chuckled.

"Never heard the old boy cuss before," she said. "I'm impressed."

"Man, Sam's going to be spooked. I should go check on her," Kim said, starting after them. But Chastity caught her wrist.

"Don't do it. She's got Gabe. He'll take care of her."

She doubted that he could take care of her, but as he physically tore the man off of Sam and began to yell at him, she decided to let it go.

"I'm going to go look for a water," she said to Chastity. "I'll be right back."

Kim headed off into the kitchen. Her black dress she'd worn to Gabe and Chastity's first party was dressy enough to be worn solo for this event. But it was getting too hot, which made it damned uncomfortable. She found a bucket of water packed in ice. Picking one up, she eyeballed the patio with its sliding glass doors.

When she got outside, the freezing December air hit her face. It was refreshing. The sounds of two people detaching their lips from each other met her ears, and it was two teens, probably from Justin and Tara's group. "God, get a room," she ordered. "Actually, don't. Go home and away from alcohol." The two ran into the house, sheepish. "Children," she said to herself, cracking the bottle lid and taking a sip.

Exhaling in relief, she took a seat in the lawn chair. It was cheap and frozen, but Kim didn't really care. All of this pressure was building, and a party didn't help. Where Sam had anxiety, Kim had apathy.

"Hey there, beautiful," an obviously drunk voice slurred as the patio doors opened. The steps of a way too intoxicated person slathered along and Kim looked up to see a very, very drunk Geoff Rutherford coming toward her. Kim raised an eyebrow and crossed a leg.

Talking to drunk people, to Kim, was like talking to a kid: repetitive and unproductive. "Hello, Geoff," she said awkwardly. "Um... party." Lying wasn't part of Kim's personality, and it certainly wasn't a nice party. His roommate had come onto her sister against her consent. Sometimes Kim thought Sam was just too nice.

"Yeah, party," he said, laughing and hiccuping. He had a beer in his hands. Kim wrinkled her nose. She never could stand the smell of that. When she had to get drunk, she did it on wine or vodka. "Fantastic party. My brother's finally getting some ass! My sister's here, still being a stuck up old bitch. The kids are in the wine coolers!" He laughed some more.

"Your 'brother's' on top of my sister, you jackass," she muttered, assuming that his brother was Connor.

"What was that?" he slurred, stumbling into the patio table. Kim smirked at him. His red hair was plastered to his forehead. He was so drunk. "A compliment on my sick party?"

"Binge drinking is bad for you," she commented, watching him sway back and forth while giggling like a schoolgirl.

"That Contender guy's here, too! If only that black chick would make out with him. That's hot. You're friends with her, aren't you?"

"Shut the fuck up about Chastity," she growled. He laughed.

"God, relax a little, Kimber-Kima-GIRL!" he shouted, taking another swig out of the bottle. "Man, and to think I passed up on breaking your windows. You're no fun!" Kim got up and took the bottle from him. What was he talking about breaking windows? Something came to her head: The vandals broke windows, spray painting about dogs and politics. Was Geoff part of that?

"You really need to sleep this off," she said, setting the bottle on the table. Geoff frowned at it and tried to pick it back up. Kim grabbed his arm. "I'm serious. Stop."

"You're killing my buzz," he said, his gaze fixed on the beer. He immediately lunged for it and hit it on the side of the table. The remaining liquid fizzed down off of it and left him with a wicked-looking shard of glass in his hand. "And now it's back."

"What are you doing, Geoff?" she asked. He looked back and forth. All of a sudden he leaned toward her, putting his free hand on her shoulder and the glass under her neck.

"You spilled," he said slowly, "my drink. Your sister is a complete tease, to both Armand and Connor." Kim frowned, threatened by the glass underneath her chin.

"Get the fuck away from me," she tried, but her voice gave out toward the end. He chuckled, turning her and pushing her into the wall.

"You know," he slurred, "little black dresses really turn me on." She frowned at the sudden clarity in his eyes. He wasn't drunk at all. Geoff was totally aware of what he was doing.

Kim realized exactly what the man was trying to do. In her mind, she screamed at him that she was going to kill him and hurt him, but just in her mind. Her vocal chords failed her.

"Come on, Geoff, w-would your sister want you to do this?" she asked. He laughed darkly, pressing the glass into her chin so hard it broke the skin. She felt blood start to run down her neck and fall into her dress.

"Don't worry about her," he laughed, breathing on her face. "She's such a stuffy old lady. Come on, dance with me." He pawed at her shoulders and chest, managing to get her dress to start to fall down.

"Stop it!" she yelled, thrashing away from him, only caring if the broken bottle got into her trachea. "You piece of shit, don't touch me again - ugh." The shard hit her shoulder and that hurt like hell. "Get away from me! HELP!" Kim started to shake.

"No one will come, the music's way too loud," he laughed more. "I made sure of that. You know, I've been watching you."

Kim's breath came shakily as he scraped the bottle down the lines of her neck, leaving red lines. She tried to slam her head away from him, but Geoff, not being drunk, was able to catch up with her.

"There's no guys who really like you. It's all your sister. I don't know, is there a reason for that?"

"I-I don't know," Kim stuttered, managing to get her hands around his wrists. He didn't care. Her strength was no match for his.

"Probably because people don't like loud girls," he whispered, using his free hand to push her down.

She kneed him right between the legs and he crumpled. She took the opportunity to run back in the house.

The thoughts of drunk people seeing a girl who looked like she must have been attacked with a weed whacker were probably odd, but all she cared about was getting her sister and getting home.

Tears began to build up in her eyes. The adrenaline was going away and the absolute embarrassment, the fear, and the shame leaked into her heart. Why her? What did she do to him?

"Kim, you're - uh," Chastity said, eyeing her. Kim shook her head, sniffling and holding her wrist to her eye. "Oh my god. Gabe?"

He had his arm around a visibly shaken Sam's waist, but their faces both dropped at the sight of Kim. "Kim!" Sam shouted, running up to her. "What happened?" Kim shook her head. "Gabe, can you drive us home? God, I should have driven... ARe you seriously hurt?"

As Sam examined the cuts, Kim shook her head, shaking. "I j-just want to g-go home." Sam nodded and looked at Gabe. He was already walking out the door as the four made their way to the street.

XX

The car ride was terrible for Kim. She was already sobbing, even with Sam's arm around her. Her tremors were more apparent, scarier, as if she was in shock.

"Gabe, you don't think she's in shock, do you?" Sam asked, voicing her concerns. He squinted at the road, the darkness making it hard to see. Sam flicked on the car's light to look at Kim better.

"You're the doctor, Sam," he said. Chastity, in the passenger seat, looked back at them.

"Damn it, I knew this was a bad idea," she said. Sam looked up.

"Can we sleep over at your house, Gabe?" she asked. She brushed back Kim's hair and caught her eye. "Is that okay with you?" Kim nodded, wiping her eyes again. "God, this is so much blood... I can't tell if it's bad because of it."

"We're almost home," Gabe promised. "Just hold on, okay?"

They arrived at their house. Sam immediately opened the door and got Kim out. Gabe helped her get Kim into the house. She decided to check her out in the kitchen, simply because the bathroom was on the second floor.

"Do you have a first aid kit I could use?" Sam asked, lying Kim down on the kitchen island. Chastity immediately ran up to get it. Gabe took a chair and sat by Kim, putting a hand on her head.

"Kim," he said softly, "you don't have to tell us anything right now, but we want to help you, okay?" She nodded, the tears coming on again. Chastity returned and Sam perused it. She found antiseptic ointment and bandages.

"Gabe, get me some old washrags," she directed. He frowned at her. "Please!"

"This is stupid, but she's not going to die, is she?" Chastity asked, biting her lip. Sam shook her head.

"No, these cuts aren't too deep or dangerous anywhere. It's just vascular," she explained. "Head wounds bleed a lot. She's going to be fine. Kim, you're going to be fine, okay?"

Kim thought that Sam was reassuring herself more than anything, but Kim didn't protest. Sam put her index finger on her chin and began cleaning up her sister.

XX

"G-Gabe," Sam said after a long while, "would you mind sharing a room with Chastity if we're going to sleep over? I think she needs a bed." Gabe nodded.

"Of course, Samantha," he said lightly. "You can have my room. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Don't be a hero, Gabe. You can sleep in the couch in my room," Chastity joked, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work. "Come on, we'll get ready for bed."

It was well past midnight. Kim was simply lying on the counter. Her tremors had gone away and the tears had stopped. So had the bleeding. There were bandages taped to her neck. She'd promised Kim that they would take her to a more qualified doctor the next day, but all Kim wanted to do was sleep, Sam knew.

Sam eyed her sister, the concern leaking into her eyes.

As she watched her sister, she watched her eyes gaze at the ceiling, probably reflecting on what happened. She cringed and her eyes started to well up again.

Sam saw the change in demeanor and grabbed her sister's hand. "Come on, Kim. We're going upstairs and getting some rest, okay?" Kim nodded, getting up. Her entire neck area looked sore, like she'd done chin ups with her chin instead of her arms and then got cut up. Sam already had her arm around for support as the two made their way upstairs.

Sam noticed, when they got to Gabe's room, it smelled achingly like him. If her sister wasn't so hurt, they probably would have gone home together and slept like this, only with him. Not that she was complaining. Her sister was the only family she had. She would do anything for her.

Already on his bed were two sets of clothing. Two old T-shirts and two old pairs of shorts greeted them. Sam picked them up and looked at Kim. The girl was standing, looking zombified, her makeup in shambles and her hair messed up. "Let me get your dress off, honey." She looked up at that word; their mother had called them that.

Once they were in their pajamas - both a little snug, since Chastity was smaller than both of them - Sam got up to find another washcloth for Kim's face. She tried to protest, but Sam just shook her head and began to wipe it off.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sam asked cautiously. Kim shook her head and laid back on the bed, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Okay. Would you like to go to sleep?"

Kim rolled over and her lip trembled again. "Oh, Kim..." Sam fell back beside her and took her hand.

"Why me?" she asked. "What did I do to him?"

Him? What was she talking about?

She must have looked confused because Kim started to shake as she managed the name, "Geoff."

"Wait, he did this to you?"

Kim nodded. Sam bit her lip, the anger rumbling inside of her. "He-he-" Kim started sobbing again, covering her eyes with her hands. Instead of asking any more questions, Sam simply wrapped an arm around her sister and waited for her to fall asleep so she could sleep with her. She didn't want to let her sister go. She couldn't let her go.

If she let her go she might fall off too.

XX

Kim woke up at her house. When did that happen? She remembered falling asleep at Chastity's house… A party…

Motherfucking Geoff…

She bolted upright, her heart starting to beat out of her chest. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. What was… why was she crying?

_Stupid. So stupid._ Why did she have to be so stupid?

Her neck ached like it had been run over. The wound pulsed as her hand flew up to it to see if it had changed… or something…

God, she was tired and sore. If shoulders were battering rams, it would resemble how they felt. The adrenaline had left an absolute hell of a body to deal with.

She forced herself to get up and pad around the room. Chastity's clothes were still on, so she had moved within the night. Walking over to the dresser, she used the mirror to take a look at herself. Her neck and collarbones were sliced up, covered with white gauze. It was Sam's handiwork.

Kim got up and walked downstairs. She spotted her phone. It began to ring as soon as she got her eyes onto it. Tentatively, she picked it up.

"Hello?"

"I heard what you did," an unfamiliar voice hissed. "You got what you deserved."

"W-what?" Kim asked, frowning, trying to figure out what the person was talking about. "Who is this?"

"What a little slut," the person sang. "Looks like someone didn't grow up from high school. No wonder you don't have a boyfriend. Who would want someone as disease ridden as you?"

Kim didn't say anything. She was simply shocked. That was all. It didn't mean anything. How did they get her number?

It was a girl. The number was unknown. Really, Kim was just dumbfounded at the gall someone would need to do that.

"It's kind of sad you didn't just die. Too bad Geoff missed your trachea."

"Oh god," Sam said from behind her. "Leave us alone!" she shouted into the receiver and clicked the end button. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

She stared at Sam, unsure of what to ask. If she had to ask a question without thinking, it would have been a mishmash of words she would have attempted to string together in a sentence.

"What…"

"They've been calling all day," Sam said, tipping her sister's head back to look at her neck. "I don't know how they got your number… we'll have to switch it." The home phone started ringing. "They got our landline as well."

"But…"

"No, no, it's okay, Kim. Go back to sleep. I'll take care of this."

Kim exhaled. "I hate Geoff."

"That's probably logical." Kim cracked a smile. "You can go to sleep. You can forget about this for a while."

Kim turned to the couch. "I'll probably have nightmares anyway." She laid down and shivered. Sam took a blanket and threw it over her. "Why?"

"Damn, you skip right to the hard questions," she said, laughing sadly. "I don't know." The cell phone rang again. Kim stole a glance at the device in Sam's hand and it told her that there were thirty-four missed calls and hundreds of texts.

As Sam inspected Kim's chest, she started to shake. "No, Kim, it's okay."

"They're right," she said miserably. "It – I deserved it."

"Don't think that." Sam, satisfied with her work, let Kim put her chin down. "Do you want to know the truth? He's a fucking pretentious asshole who thinks just because he can do what he wants because he has money. You don't deserve this. No one does." Kim kept her eyes fixed on her sister. "Do you need to go to sleep?"

Kim shrugged and shut her eyes. Sam put her arm on her sister's elbow and pulled her over onto herself. "Try at least."

"But – "

"I won't let anything happen to you."

XX

_TL;DR: Kim agrees to go to the party with Sam, Gabe, and Chastity. Acacius and his father talk. Gabe gets angry with Connor for coming onto Sam. Geoff gets a little bit drunk and then mad at Kim and carves her up with a bottle and tries to take off her dress. The latter does not succeed and she goes home. Later she wakes up and gets a threatening phone call about the incident._

_Okay, still feeling pretty crappy. Things get better… I promise…_


	20. Chapter 18: Dearly Beloved

_A/N: So sorry this took so long. I kind of lost my focus but I should be back now! I'm working on a lot of stories. Also if the formatting's kind of screwed up I'm very sorry. Thank you! _

Chapter 18: Dearly Beloved

_A few days later… _

It was an odd request, to be asked over to Carlos Contender's house, but as Sam usually said, "Never pass up a good opportunity." And this was a good opportunity. After the giant falling out with Geoff, she needed to redeem herself in the community.

She made her way up his front lawn and saw that he had a really big house. She was almost jealous for a moment before she realized how much she had, too - a great sister, a decent job, stability... and time to kill, something she doubted Carlos had, simply because he was old.

Kim rung the doorbell, shifting in her new black boots and jeans. Her sister had taken her out pity shopping. She didn't protest. Anything she could do with her sister she liked to do. She hadn't grown too far away from her sister, she hoped. Kim felt like she was slowly getting better, forgetting…

The elderly man answered the door in a tracksuit with sweat beading up along his hairline. "Hello, Kimberly," he said lightly. "Won't you come in?" She nodded and stepped inside.

"Do you want my shoes off?" she questioned. He shook his head, a smile on his lips. A towel was draped around his neck and tape was on his hands. "Um, boxing?" She smiled to herself. Hopefully that meant she was getting better. The number had been changed. The calls had stopped. She could finally start… forgetting.

Chastity had set up a hearing about it. Sam insisted she file charges. It was all over the news. Geoff's name had come into some bad press. Hopefully he would get away.

It was all too high stress for her. It occupied her every thought, every fiber of her being. Maybe that would stop it.

"Of course, my dear," he answered, unwrapping the tape. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering why you're here, aren't you?"

Kim didn't answer. Ever since... what had happened, she had become much quieter and withdrawn. The therapist didn't seem to help. And with cops constantly badgering them for details, she'd become even less willing to tell.

"Well, as you know, you were in contact with one of my... friends."

Kim's stomach dropped. Her face must have betrayed her because he laughed. "Yeah, remember that? Wasn't that nice?"

"Nothing happened," Kim maintained. Carlos shrugged.

"That's not what he tells me. However, I really don't care about your affairs and how he deals with you. I need to keep you quiet." He turned and began pacing the length of the room. "I sure have been hearing about a lawsuit? That's going to be an issue. So we need to keep you as quiet as a dormouse."

"Quiet how?" she asked testily. He chuckled at her.

"I can shut you up faster than you can utter out another funny remark." He stepped up to her and ran his fingers down the side of her face. "You're not very pretty."

"I didn't come here to listen to you insult me," she replied, glancing past him. But the fighting was gone from her body. There was nothing else to fight for. Her stomach was ravaged – she had no appetite since it happened. It had been four days since Acacius had left and she couldn't think about him without thinking about Geoff.

"You've heard too much, Kimberly. Geoff made a grave mistake in trying to assault you because of how he gets when he's around alcohol. You see, he doesn't get drunk. Not completely. He gets loopy and communicative, and finally, he gets violent. During this process, he destroys his liver, so he doesn't drink much. I slipped some into his drink because he's been hiding from me too. How was I supposed to know that he would go right to you and not to me?" He ran his fingers on her bandages. "This is too apparent."

"Stop," Kim said, fire returning to her eyes. "I'm leaving."

"Like hell you are," he said, reeling and hitting her across the cheek. Kim clenched her teeth together and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I will tell everyone what happened if you hit me."

"Likely story. No one will believe you."

Kim realized that he was right. In the peripheral of her vision, a figure walked out with blonde hair. Kim wondered why Jessica was here and why she was actually walking out... usually she hid.

"Now, Kim, you can make this easier on yourself or hard on yourself," he said, taking her wrist and wrenching it into her body so her elbow throbbed. "I would suggest the hard route to make it more fun for me." He took her finger and bent it back. Kim groaned, biting her lip as to not yell. "Whenever you promise not to tell it stops." Kim would have promised right then and there but she couldn't. It was too much to just not tell. And if she was getting it, weren't others getting it too?

"I will tell," Kim said defiantly. Whimpering as he turned her around and bent both of her arms unnaturally, he only laughed at her.

"You had promise, Kim. If only you didn't fraternize with the wrong people." She panted as another finger was bent back, white-hot pain shooting up her arm. If they were broken she wouldn't be surprised. It felt like it did when she broke it when she was eight but not accompanied with the sick crack.

The blonde woman sprinted up to Carlos and grabbed his waist. "Don't do it!" she screamed, making eye contact with Kim as the two tussled. Carlos was obviously much stronger than her and he would destroy her. Hadn't she gone to the hospital earlier in the year? Was it because of him?

"Run," Jessica said, holding on to him as much as her tiny arms could. "Tell someone. Don't worry about me. Just run."

Kim nodded and hightailed it out of there.

XX

"Stand down! Don't move! You are under arrest!"

Isabel wasn't really invested in the phrase. All she could think about was how her children had reacted to the shooting. It had put a damper on Christmas. That and how her husband was barely talking to her had really made the holiday a downer.

It was no matter, though. She had to focus on the task at hand: the man who was aiming a gun at her chest.

"Stand down!" Shannon shouted, backing her up. "Isabel, I'll call backup."

"I – I've got nothing to lose!" the man said, laughing hysterically. "I'm getting arrested regardless! I shot the mayor! Hear that? I SHOT THE MAYOR!"

"He was hired," Shannon muttered. "No way he orchestrated that." Isabel nodded, blowing her red hair out of the way.

They shouted some more but Isabel couldn't concentrate. _Pull yourself together. _

"Isabel! Where are you? I need you!" Shannon asked. The man kept laughing hysterically as if he was going mad. The gun wasn't going to do any damage anyway. It probably wasn't even loaded.

If he had killed the mayor as he had claimed, he was a sniper or a long-range shooter. That or he was a lucky son of a bitch. Whatever he was his close range wouldn't be too bad.

Right?

She shook her head and gave her last threat. He was holding up traffic, for one. And for another he was a public safety issue if he really killed the mayor. "Stand down," she repeated. "This is the last time you get warned."

A shot rang out. She stumbled backwards. Everyone quieted and looked at her. She looked around, confused. "Is everyone okay?" The officers behind the man wrestled him to the ground. Isabel frowned and fell to her knees. She looked down at her chest. There was a hole a little below her collarbone that was beginning to bleed. Did she really get shot? That was unexpected.

"No! Damn it, stay with me!" Shannon asked, rushing to her side. "Come on. Lay down, Isabel! I'm not losing my partner."

"You won't," she said, lying on her back and looking up at the sky. She highly doubted this would kill her. But then the pain kicked in and she was sure that she'd be screwed up for a long time. "I'm not ready to go."

"Somebody call an ambulance!" Shannon yelled. "I'm not ready for you to go either." She smiled and touched his cheek.

"Just in case. Tell my husband I love him and that I'm sorry."

"Shit! Don't do this to me!" he shouted. She shook her head. "What will your kids say?"

"If they have to… goodbye."

XX

"Kim! Where are you going?" Sam asked desperately. Her sister had a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. "Talk to me. How did it go?"

She shook her head. "I can't do this anymore." Kim pushed her hair out of her eyes with her fingers. "I have… I need to get away. Okay? Can you understand that?" she asked. "I'm so sorry but I just can't do this anymore."

Sam recoiled. It felt like something had shocked her with the voltage of a power plant. She was pushing her away again.

She reached for her sister's elbow but when she gripped it she recoiled. "Damn!" she said, hissing and pulling away from her. "Don't do that."

"What is it?" she asked. Before Kim could pull away she pushed her sleeve up and saw a multitude of bruises. "Holy… Kim, what happened?" Kim shook her head at Sam and snatched her arm away.

"It's none of your business. I'm sorry." She pulled away from her and left. Sam blinked a few times. She didn't understand what Kim was doing and when she would return. Unless she really wouldn't return. The only reason she didn't leave back in high school was Sam. They had remained close enough that she convinced her otherwise. It wasn't the case anymore, though.

She sank into her couch and rubbed her forehead with her hand. It was a miserable situation. Sam had thought Carlos could have fixed her situation. But the phones were still ringing. She had to get around to changing them.

What was she supposed to do?

Someone knocked on the door. "It's me," Gabe called. She sniffled.

"It's open," she called. He opened the door and walked in. "Hey."

"Hey, princess," he greeted, kissing her forehead and joining her on the couch. "What's up? Where's Kim?"

She curled up into his arm. "She left."

"What do you mean? She left?" he questioned. She turned into his arm, fighting off tears. "Honey, it's okay."

"No, it's not. I can't do anything right." He stroked her hair. "She just left because of something Carlos did but I don't know what he would do." Gabe was silent.

He squeezed her shoulder. "Forget about her for a while. Whatever it is can wait." She sat up, frowning. "What?"

"Just _forget_ about it?" she asked. "That's your suggestion?" He shrugged. "No, you don't understand. She's my sister and she's, as far as I know, missing."

"Then why didn't you go after her?"

"Because she doesn't want that!" Sam yelled. "God, you can be so insensitive."

"Me? Insensitive? No. Sam, you've been looking for a fight for the past few weeks. I love you, Sam, but you've been insufferable." Sam shook her head, standing up.

"Get out."

"Excuse me?"

She turned to him, her eyes dark and angry. "I said _get out_."

"Sam, I'm sorry – "

"I can't deal with any of this right now!" she yelled. "Please. Just leave." She wiped her eyes. He got up and headed toward the door. "I'm sorry."

He nodded. "I get it. It's okay." He kissed the side of her head before he walked out the door.

She fell onto the couch and curled up to the side. Unable to hold it in, she started to cry. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

If only an apology fixed everything.

XX

Ana was a wreck. She was an absolute wreck.

Her doctor told her she had to be strong for the baby. Babies. There were two. It was twins.

How was she supposed to support three kids?

Her doctor told her to be strong for Lila. She felt the disturbance in the household Ana knew. It was a tragedy.

She sat in their apartment. There were boxes piled by the door. All that remained was their beds and food along with the bookcase they had to leave behind. Her baby was on her lap as she sat on the counter, a stony look on her face. She was dead inside.

Her husband was dead.

Why else should she keep living?

An impulse fluttered through her head. She was on the fifth floor. A jump would kill her. And she almost got up.

Then Lila cried and she rethought it. How could she have done that to her child? No, suicide would not do. It would not be fair to the child.

They said time healed all wounds. Could it heal this one?

She cuddled Lila for the first time in a week. The child quieted and gazed up to her with her inquisitive little eyes.

No, this would not do. She picked up Lila and swaddled her in some blankets. She was going out and taking a look at the new house. It would be okay.

She would make it okay. She had to. Ana Patel would not give up.

XX

Kim was on the couch in her small house. Ever since she'd moved out from her old house, she'd been so alone. But moving back meant messing up her sister's relationship and that wouldn't be fair. Moving back meant screwing up anything more than she already had and she couldn't do that.

_Happy New Year. _It was probably saying something that she left on New Year's Eve. Even more so, it was strange that no one remembered the holiday. Kim herself was too anxious for it.

The doctor told her that her index and middle finger on her left had had both been broken and the joints on her left arm were hyperextended. She'd received splints for the fingers and braces for the elbow and shoulder. But since she couldn't tell him what had actually happened, there were no medications given out for pain. She was stuck using generic painkillers and killing her liver, using six or eight at a time. It still didn't help and if she accidentally cut herself, she had a hunch she'd bleed out.

She kept her left arm as still as possible. The painkillers hadn't really killed the pain effectively and moving it hurt ridiculously badly. But all she could think about was when he was going to get to her and finish the job.

Someone knocked on the door. She turned and shouted, "It's open!" She really hoped it was Sam but that was unlikely. Sam was hopefully kissing her boyfriend at that moment. She heard the door open.

"Afternoon, sweetheart," a familiar voice drawled sarcastically. Kim's stomach did a flip. It was the absolute worst time for him to come by. "How's my little girl doing?" He walked slowly up behind her. "I came by your house but Sam told me you… left. I spent all afternoon hunting you down. What the heck?" She shrugged painfully. "Fine. Answer my question, then. How are you?"

"Fine," she said flatly, getting up and clasping her hands behind her back. He came up to her and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her into him in order to kiss her forehead. She winced.

"Shit, Kim, I thought you were tough. Did you hit your shoulder?" he asked, glancing at her arm. "Let me see."

Kim glared and shook her head. "Don't touch me." He put his hands up defensively and she walked away from him.

"What'd I do?"

"Nothing!" she shouted back, walking to her tiny kitchen and pulling out a glass for water. "This is just a bad time right now."

"What are you doing, watching television? Not even that," he said, following her. "What's wrong?" He looked around the room for a clue. Kim sighed, knowing that Acacius would figure it out. But she could hide it enough... she hoped. "Give me your arm, Kim."

"Stop it," she said cautiously, raising the glass with her right hand and taking a sip. He ignored her and took the arm for himself. "Goddamnit, that hurts!" She was unable to help herself. It seriously hurt. Why did she have to go and break her arm?

"What the hell did you do to yourself?" he asked, carefully examining the hand. "These are splints... so you broke two fingers." He looked up at her. "You don't just do that. You're not a clumsy person." She reddened and looked away. "Any reason why you're wearing a sweater today?"

"Stop it," she repeated, but weaker this time. He took his hand and held her wrist gently before running his other hand up her arm, feeling the two braces that were anchored onto her arm. There was another one on the right shoulder, but that one was barely noticeable.

Despite her brave face she was attempting to put on, it really did hurt like heck. Broken fingers, she had discovered, were almost as bad as a broken leg, which she had done already.

"Can you stop?" she asked, being sincere that time. He nodded and put down her arm. "Thanks."

"What happened?" Acacius asked, taking the empty glass of water and setting it down. "Injuries are not like you."

She pulled away from him and proceeded to the couch, flopping down and cringing at the shoots of pain up her arm. He followed her and took a seat next to her. Acacius did not touch her. That was something that Kim did not like an excess of.

"Nothing happened," she said. "I slammed my hand in the car door." He snickered.

"Likely story. You managed to break two fingers and strain two joints doing that? I'm not a doctor but that smells of bullshit." She sighed. "Why don't you want to tell me?"

She bit her lip, pulling her knees up under her. "I don't want to talk about it."

"The party," he breathed, something illuminating in his mind. "You went to a party a couple nights ago. I was unable to attend. Something must have happened there." She didn't affirm or deny the accusation. "And you told me you had somewhere to go yesterday when I called even though you didn't pick up. Once I texted you, though, you said you couldn't meet up. Something about your neck injuries, which, now that I think about it, were incredibly suspicious as well." Kim remembered the doctor taking them off and worrying about them. "You fell into a pile of broken glass and slammed your hand in a door. Something isn't adding up."

"Nothing happened!" she shouted, tears burning in her eyes. She held a special hatred for crying. It wasn't strong. It betrayed weakness and it didn't make anyone look good while doing it.

"Shit, Kim," he repeated. "I'm so sorry." The second part was unexpected. He carefully put a finger to her chin and traced the lines of the healing cuts. "These... are from a bottle."

"How do you know this shit?" she asked, frowning at him. He smiled to himself.

"That? I've been cut open with a bottle."

"When?"

"My dad," he explained shortly. "That's not important. Who did this to you?"

"I can't tell you," she said automatically, grinding her teeth. It helped her to not cry.

"Fine. I'll figure it out myself." He took her right and examined it. "And nothing happened to this arm?" Kim pointed to her shoulder. "Hm." He got up and looked her over.

She tried her best to keep his gaze but she couldn't and curled up in the corner of the couch. "Geoff and Carlos," she whispered. He frowned.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"They did it." She exhaled and closed her eyes. "Geoff was drunk - well, as drunk as he could be - and Carlos did the arms to tell me not to talk."

"Oh, Kim," he said, sitting down next to her and putting an arm around her waist carefully. "Geoff... it was his party. And he tried to..."

"Don't do anything!" she pleaded, imploring him with her eyes. "You can't. The only reason I ran was because of Jessica, and she's already - "

"I won't do anything if you ask, Kim," he whispered, pulling her closer to him. "You're safe now."

XX

Acacius sighed. Breaking a promise sucked but sometimes it was necessary. Especially when two of his business partners called this "silencing". They were both rich enough. They could have easily paid her off. He didn't do anything too badly to her so any amount of money and enough sweet talk would have shut her up. Hell, they could have asked him to do it. He would do that.

Now? They were going to get lawsuits. Acacius would make sure of that, considering he was a lawyer. And worse, Acacius was going to take measures into his own hands. And they would be sure to not talk about it.

_ Happy New Year's, you scumbags, _he thought angrily, tucking a tape recorder into his shirt pocket.

They had told him to meet them that evening at Carlos' place. Armand was going to be there. If he saw it, more power to him. They would never mess with her again. No one was allowed to mess with what was his. And even if Kim did not consider herself his, he was already hers. If she didn't think so he would make it so.

_Darn my temper and me. _

He politely rang the doorbell, adjusting the speaker in his coat's pocket. They didn't know about Kim and he. But they would. And they would never tell anyone. She would be safe. Goddamn it, he would make sure of it.

Armand answered the door. "Hello, Acacius," he said politely, gesturing for him to come in. He nodded cordially and crossed into the house.

Carlos had a nice house. There was no surprise there; the Contenders and Baldwins were old money. Both he and his family were incredibly affluent.

"They're in the dining room," Armand said quietly. He was a shy man, and that gave Acacius all the more reason to be wary of him. From what he'd researched, he had ruined his daughter's boyfriend's life simply for kissing her.

Yeah, Acacius was careful of him.

They crossed into the dining room where there was food and bottles of wine on the table. He sighed. Wine wasn't his thing. His mother and father had forced him to drink it at every meal when he was a boy. It was part of the reason he started staying out too late to get dinner when he was around them.

"Acacius Katsaros!" Acacius frowned at the use of his last name. All he'd used it on was his driver's license and his birth certificate. His father had never believed in last names. His mother had despised them. "I found your last name," Carlos said proudly. Acacius smiled self-consciously and took a seat. "Glad you found it here." _At least you don't know my other name. That's safe if I need it. _

Participating in cheerful banter was difficult for him. He felt his anger in his chest, bubbling up with every breath he breathed. "Thank you for inviting me," he managed as Armand took a seat. "I see we have settings for six."

"Yes, that's why we invited you! Marissa and Phoebe," Carlos called. Two women, both with brown hair, walked in. One was much older than the other. Geoff got up and hugged the older one. "Marissa is Geoff's older sister. They were both Rutherfords, but she's still a Cleveland."

"Why still?" Acacius asked, sounding bored. Armand coughed.

"She found her husband with another man," Armand said quickly, an uncharacteristic smile on his face. Acacius quickly put the pieces together: Armand had caused him to be found. Marissa seemed to be oblivious to this, though, taking a seat between Geoff and Armand.

The older woman scoffed. "Had I known of his affiliations, I would have left him long ago. If it weren't for my son, we would have been done even longer before."

"Who is your son, ma'am?" Acacius inquired. "I have a nephew in school. Perhaps they're friends."

"Justin Cleveland," she provided helpfully. Armand's face twisted ever so slightly. Acacius was still assembling the puzzle of the table. It hit him like a cement block: Justin was Armand's daughter's boyfriend. Marissa was unaware of the reason her husband was found with another man: it was Armand's revenge. And the couple he had seen when at the park late in winter? It was Justin and the DeBateau girl, secretly dating.

There was lots of dirt he had on everyone here. Better yet, they were all afraid of it.

He smiled and glanced at the other girl. "And you are?"

She smiled, but then the smile vanished. "You smell like Cordial," she mentioned. Everyone paused to look at her. "I, uh, the drink." Her hair flickered and darkened. Acacius frowned.

"Yes. This is Phoebe Adams, the leader of the Light Hotel right outside of town," Carlos explained. "She approached me about a business deal." Phoebe took a seat next to Acacius. He brushed her hand with his fingers.

"You feel like witch," he hissed at her.

"Phoebe is closely associated with Samantha Cordial here. They're like sisters, perhaps more than Kimberly and her." Acacius measured his facial expressions. The slightest change would give it away to Phoebe. She could not figure out he was with Kimberly. He sensed it in her demeanor.

The rest of the table erupted into lively small talk about stocks and bonds. Marissa seemed to know a lot about insider trading. Now Acacius knew where Geoff had gotten it. Carlos revealed all of the frauds he had committed and gotten away with. Acacius chuckled to himself. If any of them told, this would be proof of it.

"What is a witch like you doing at a business meeting?" he questioned. She glanced to him, giving him a demure batting of eyelashes. "I mean, explain to me what a witch does that requires business."

"Explain to me why you smell like sunshine," she said. "Is Sam cheating?"

"God no," he said. "I barely know Sam."

"Well, to answer your question, I need more money and business contacts. See, I like casting mischief on people and if I have protection, then I'm invincible."

"Are witches even real, or are you just mentally ill?" Acacius asked. She snorted.

"Of course they're real. Frances, my sister, is a bad witch."

"But you're a good witch," he said. "You feel like a good witch."

"Stupid readers," she growled quietly. "Yes, I am. But I'm not a good person. I've reconciled myself with that fact long ago." She sniffed him again, leaning close to his ear. "You also smell like anger."

He sighed and laughed, a smile appearing on his face. The anger flushed away, confusing her. She wrinkled her nose.

Toying with people was his specialty.

The blabbering of the dinner party went on. Acacius listened, trying to remember anything, but he was incredibly distracted. The gun rested against his hip. He had no intentions of actually using it but both Geoff and Carlos had fears of guns.

He sung in his head, snickering at the thought. He picked at his food, his appetite stifled by the hot anger in his stomach. Holding a grudge, he'd learned, was a very easy thing to do when one quieted anger. There were so many things to be mad at: there was the actual event, the suffering caused by staying angry, and the frustration from keeping it away from the public's eye.

"Acacius? We've come to invite you three - you, Phoebe, and Marissa - to join our High Roller society. We have been behind the Dog in Politics route and we would love your assistance."

Phoebe smiled serenely. "Count me in."

Marissa smiled as well. "Same here."

Acacius drew in a breath, a slight smirk appearing on his face as he got up. "I will have to think about it. But I would like to ask you a few questions first, Geoff." He put his hand into his pocket and nestled it against the gun. "Do you know a Kimberly Cordial?"

Geoff frowned but nodded. "Of course. I think she's in the military career?"

"I know you know Kimberly Cordial. Might you reiterate the events that happened at your party with her?" he questioned. Geoff turned to him.

"What are you talking about, dude? I didn't see her there. I mean, she's okay, but I'm not with her or anything." _Too defensive. That's your first problem, bucko. _

"I know you're not with Kimberly Cordial. Might you explain what happened to her neck?" he asked, pacing around behind him. All eyes were on him. "Considering the cuts were done with a bottle and it had distinct saliva of a Mr. Geoff Rutherford on it... I'm simply interested, is all."

"Fine, I cut her. She came onto me and it was an accident." Acacius faltered. Would that be true?

_Who are you going to trust, big man?_ The voice of his father echoed in his ears. _The piece of shit businessman who tried to rape your girl, or your girl?_

"No, that was definitely a sign of attempted rape," he said, placing his hands on the shoulders of Geoff. "Admit to it."

"Fine. I was drunk and she wouldn't let me do her. So I might have cut her a little. Whoops," he said, laughing. The table laughed with him. Acacius' knees shook but he kept going. His heart pounded out of anger. Phoebe was sensing it and he was spilling his cards all over the table. No, no, no, that couldn't happen. He calmed himself down.

"That's all I need from you, Geoff. Now I have some questions for you, Carlos," he said, pacing over to him. Phoebe frowned, unsure of what he was doing. When the table laughed, Carlos did not. He knew something was up. So Acacius put his hand on his gun. "Mr. Contender, Kimberly currently has two broken fingers, an injured left elbow, an injured left shoulder, and an injured right shoulder. She claims this was done in a car door. Do you have any knowledge of this?"

Carlos kept a smooth facial expression "None at all. She probably hurt herself on a car door."

"Really? Well, she went to visit you yesterday morning and returned with the injuries after going to the hospital. Do you have any explanation for that?" he asked.

"None at all. Again, the car door," Carlos said smoothly. Acacius rubbed the handle of the gun, unlocking the safety. Being around guns all of his life, there was little risk of him actually shooting someone. It wasn't safe. But this didn't have him thinking clearly.

"Well, considering she took a taxi, I find that hard to believe," he said, putting his left hand on Carlos' shoulder. "Would you like to reiterate what you have said?"

"Acacius, what are you doing?" Carlos asked. His tone was nonchalant but Acacius felt differently. The entire table was staring at him. Acacius patted his shoulder.

"Now tell me what really happened with you and Kimberly Cordial."

"Fine. I needed to shut her up. She knew that Geoff was orchestrating the plot against the leaders of Belladonna Cove. We needed to stop it. So I was tasked with using my boxing skills to make her stop. I would have done more if my whore of a girlfriend hadn't played the hero. She's almost dead now, thanks to the slut." He sighed. Acacius chuckled.

"Thank you for that," he said, removing his left hand. Carlos started to move. He moved into Acacius' gun. "Now listen to me and listen carefully." He took his left hand and tossed the recording device in his pocket onto the table. "This recording device, if destroyed, will delete everything." That was a lie. It would only forget the last five minutes. He would need to time this perfectly. No one

could hear him threatening but they had to hear the testimony. Rotating his watch so he could see it, he kept his eyes on it. "If any of you touch Kimberly or anyone else from her family or friends, I will find you and I will make dead sure you don't talk again." Geoff's eyes went wide at the vision of the gun. "Anyone here who tells? I can bring you and your family down as well. I have this recording of you, Marissa, talking about insider trading. I have you, Armand, soliciting prostitution. Phoebe? You are a witch and prove it almost daily. Granted, these aren't much, but it could spark an investigation. And that investigation could show a lot of undesirable things on your record." Acacius spied his watch. Three and a half minutes. "Now here's what I want for the destruction of this evidence."

"Why not just keep it?" Carlos asked darkly.

"Because then you would have to continue reporting to me. I want you all out of my life. I am but a simple lawyer who would like to serve out his public defense in peace. Here are my terms. One, you disband this Dog in Politics thing. You've killed an innocent man and ruined his family's future. His three children will have to grow up without a father and his wife without a loving husband. So stop while you are ahead. If you disobey this, I will tell General Buzz Grunt and he will take care of you. Second, I have individual requests. Marissa? Let your son live with his father. You do not deserve him." The woman sniffled a reply. "Armand? Let your daughter date your son or whoever she wants." He gave a curt nod, wringing his hands. They were all looking for an out.

Acacius would love an excuse to bring them to court.

"Geoff... I'd love it if you moved somewhere. Maybe... Hm, Aurora Skies. It's a dying town and you can die with it." He gave him an incredulous look. "Do it. I will make sure you get deported to Old Country if you don't." Geoff nodded grimly. "Phoebe... I have a feeling it was your doing that caused the issue with Connor and Sam. Undo that."

"That's a cheap out," Carlos complained. Acacius checked his watch.

"Phoebe will get hers in the end," Acacius said vacantly. "And you, Carlos? I would simply lie low until the end of your life. If you don't, well, little Sofia and Marcus will have their greatest role model destroyed."

He checked his watch. He had thirty seconds. "Does everyone understand?" They nodded. "Good. Now I will shoot a hole in this recording and table. If any one of you touches Kimberly again, I will kill you." He took the gun off of Carlos' neck. "Don't come after me."

Three... two... one.

Bang.

XX

_TL;DR: I don't feel like it. The end of the second story arc! We have a total of 202 pages. Whoo. _


	21. Interlude II: Spring Awakening

_A/N: Sorry for all of the musical references in the titles lately… Anyway, onto the final story arc: Spring. YAY. _

_Finally caught up on some of those reviews. You guys are freaking fantastic. 212 pages, over 100,000 words, almost 500 views… This is pretty awesome. THANK YOU! _

_On with the show. _

Part 3: Spring

Interlude II: Spring Awakening (also known as adults acting like teenagers)

_March_

"Don't be stupid about this," Chastity warned. "I have a hearing to go to. I have to watch it because it's part of my exam, I guess." Gabe rubbed his hair off of his face. He had been depressed ever since whatever had happened with Sam. She had tried to get him off of his feet to work and to write but it had been difficult.

He was tired and sad. She wanted to stop it. "Call her."

"She sent me away."

"She expected you to come back!" Chastity yelled. "Not wait for three months. You're too soft. Grow a pair." He looked up at her sadly. "And shave. Jesus." She shook her head, smoothing her hair back. It wasn't dyed a crazy color for once and it looked presentable. She was cleaning up.

Gabe shook his head. "She won't."

"You're a dumbass. Call her or don't. I don't care." She left.

Gabe considered what Chastity had said for about a half hour after she left. Maybe she was right, maybe she was wrong. But Gabe needed to make a choice to either keep being sad or talk to her.

_Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all_, he thought. He got up to the phone.

XX

Sam was waiting on a park bench. The snow was just finishing up melting. She hoped it would end soon. It had been cold for long enough.

She hadn't heard from Kim except over phone calls. She got the entire story out of her through disjointed messages. It was horrific but whatever had happened she was getting over. At least… she hoped. Kim could be a good liar when she tried.

Really, Sam missed Kim. She missed her sister. And she missed Gabe really, really bad.

If he had wanted her he would have called. She kept telling herself that. He didn't want her anymore.

She didn't know what she was waiting for. Maybe she was waiting for nothing. During the evening it was pretty, that she knew. The sunset was pretty. But beauty was her only company and damn, was beauty lonely.

Behind her she heard shuffling of feet. She figured it was the two kids who came out every once in a while, the redheaded girl and the shaven boy. They talked about the future. It was fun to hear about, hearing about kids growing up.

"There you are." She frowned and turned around. "I thought you had forgotten about me." Sam bit her lip.

"No," she said. "I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have – "

"Sh," Gabe said, striding up to her and wrapping his arms around her. "Don't talk about that. We all make mistakes."

"Like not calling me for three months," she said sullenly. "I thought you didn't want me." He shook his head.

"No, you're wrong, princess." He kissed her temple. "Love is not a want. Love is a need. And I starved those three months." She shook, trying not to cry. "I don't feel like punishing myself anymore. Do you?"

She shook her head slowly. "Neither do I. I'm sorry too. I lack balls," he joked. She smirked. "So let me gain my pride back." She turned to him and kissed him.

"Damn, I missed that," she whispered. He nodded.

"As did I. As did I."

XX

"Wow, mom, you're getting speedy," Marcus commented to his mother. Isabel rolled her eyes and picked her son up.

"Aren't you getting big?" she said. It had been a long time since the shooting and she was recovering. She was back doing desk jobs – the most boring of jobs – and was rekindling her relationship with her family.

The decorations she had been given were enough to make her feel accomplished enough with her life. It wasn't worth getting shot again or dying to do the thing she loved, especially over something she loved more – her family.

"Mama," Marcus complained, "put me down." She obeyed. The boy ran off to his room.

What was done was done. She couldn't change it.

Benjamin walked in the door. "Hey," he greeted. Sofia hopped onto the counter and continued shelling some peas into a bowl. "How's everyone?"

Isabel smiled. "Perfectly fine. We're having spaghetti and peas for dinner," she announced. He walked over to her and grabbed the spoon. "Hey!"

"Let me make dinner tonight," he offered politely, refusing to meet her eye. Isabel grabbed it back, shooting him a warning glance. "Please."

She nodded, stepping away. "Come here, Sofia. I'll help you with the peas." Sofia obediently handed the sack of pods to her and she began shelling.

Once dinner was ready, Marcus came out of his room and helped set the table. They ate dinner in another awkward silence that Isabel tried desperately to break. No one bit, though, especially not Benjamin.

The kids retreated to their room as they did every night. Isabel cleared the dishes as she did every night. Even if she felt better not everything was better with her family.

She scooped leftovers into a box and stashed it in the fridge.

"Isabel?"

"Yes?" she answered, turning to Benjamin.

"I need to talk to you." She set the dishes down and turned off the water. "I… I was very harsh to you since you started working." Isabel shrugged and rubbed her wrist, glancing at the floor self-consciously. "That was wrong of me."

"What brings this on?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I was looking at the kids and they seemed distant and it was my fault. I'm so sorry," he said. "I love you, Isabel. I always have and I wasn't being fair to you for wanting to work." She nodded.

"Yeah, you were being kind of a jerk," she said offhandedly. He chuckled and stepped up to her.

"I was the biggest of jerks as Marcus would put it." He put a hand on her cheek. "Can you forgive me?" She shrugged.

"It might be hard. But I think I can manage." He turned abruptly to the dishes. "Hey!"

He laughed and kissed her.

XX

_April_

Jessica laughed to herself. Ever since she'd been beaten and ditched on a street she'd learned that she needed a sense of humor. Forgiveness was out of the question but laughing at people was definitely available.

The woman she'd taken a hotel from knocked on her door. "'S open," she mumbled. She walked in. "Hey, Frances."

"Hello, Jessica. I figured I would bring you dinner because… it's dinner time," she said, smiling and staring at the floor. "I have a baguette, an apple, and some mixed vegetables."

Jessica glanced at the tray. There was a carton of milk on it too.

"Huh. School lunch?" she asked. Frances frowned. "Forget it. Thanks, Frances. Do you want to sit with me?"

Frances glanced around uncertainly. Jessica took the tray and set it on the bed. "Come on. I don't bite."

The redheaded woman took a seat on the bed. Jessica tossed the apple in the air before taking a bite. "This tastes good," she said, her words muffled by fruit. "I just want to thank you for letting me stay here. And for free, too. And offering me a job – "

"Don't mention it, Jessica," Frances said sincerely. "It was my pleasure."

_Definitely,_ Jessica mused. She'd found her almost dead in a gutter with cuts everywhere and at least three broken bones and had fixed her up in less than a week. It was amazing what the girl could do. Jessica worked the register at the gift shop for whatever tourists came by and was paid handsomely for the work.

Whatever had gotten into her she didn't mind. It was a way out and she would take it. Jessica needed a way out and if almost dying was what it took she didn't mind.

It was nice to have all of the time away. She needed it.

"So what's your story?" Jessica asked. Frances smiled reminiscently at the wall. The room was stone like a castle – Jessica assumed that was its allure – and it was cold like one. However, blankets kept her warm enough when she was reading or whatever she was doing in her free time.

"I had a sister. We grew apart. I opened this hotel for money reasons – it was handed down to me – and now I'm here. It's simple." Jessica opened the milk container and downed it in one gulp. "Is the meal satisfactory?"

"It's perfect, Frances. But I need to talk to you." Frances perked up. "I… I need to leave. I need to get my house and get my life together."

"Has this place not been good enough?" Frances asked. Jessica shook her head.

"No, it's been perfect. It's been exactly what I need. I thank you so much, Frances. You've been my first friend in a long, long time. But I need to get out. Don't you understand?"

Frances nodded. "I'll help you get your things tomorrow morning. I'll secure an appropriate house for you as well. I hope you've enjoyed your stay." She got up and left the room.

Jessica frowned, shrugged, and grabbed the baguette. She always saved the vegetables for last. They were her favorite part.

XX

_May_

"School's almost out," Tara commented. Her and Tank were on his apartment's roof. After her father had gone off the deep end, he had made sure she was safe every night and when he had come home he had introduced himself. Armand even approved. She was slowly patching up her relationship with him even if it would never be the same.

Tank nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Decided on college and stuff yet?" she inquired. He scoffed.

"Of course. The applications were only due in January," he said. She snickered. "I got accepted into their extraterrestrial studies program. I got the letter last week."

"Aw, sweet!" she said. "Score, kiddo."

"Why am _I _the kid? You're younger than me!" he complained. She giggled. "Anyway, I'm glad you're so interested in my college life. Can't wait until your turn?" She groaned at him. "What?"

"Dad _still_ wants me to do business school after all he put me through. No way! I'm not interested in his business. Considering how much the tax guys are sniffing into it, _no one's_ interested in his business." Tank shrugged.

"It could be a worthy investment," he suggested. "But you're really not interested in business?" She shook her head and made a face.

"Not at all. Yuck."

"Then what are you interested in?"

She smiled at the night sky. "You won't believe it."

"Shoot."

"Interior design." He propped himself up to look at her, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Get out!"

"I _told_ you!" she said, laughing uncontrollably. "Damn, Tank, what am I going to do without you next year? You and Ripp and even Simon."

"You'll have Justin and Ripp. Hell, Ripp's not going anywhere. They're kickass friends. And what about Zoe?" She chewed her lip. "Ah. You've grown away from them."

"Would you accept the answer of that you're a fantastic friend?" she tried. He laughed and shook his head. "Damn. But really. What'll I do without my favorite army brat?"

He rustled her hair. "You'll be a fantastic interior designer. And I'll come back on breaks. Really, college isn't too far away. We can even go out on weekends." He waggled his eyebrows at her. She just laughed. "We should probably get you home."

"Can't I sleep over?" she whined. He shook his head.

"Oh, hell no. This apartment's crowded enough with the four of us considering we have two cramped rooms. And _no_, you can't have the couch." She sighed and got up. "Let's go." She took his hand and they got up, crawling down the ladder to the ground. "Come on, the world's favorite ginger. We've got to get you home before your dad flips again."

"Unless he's on drugs or talking to auditors again," she reminded him.

"There's that." He chuckled and threw his jacket over her shoulders. "There's definitely that."

XX

Sally, Etsu, and Vivian were out at the mall.

"Does this shirt go with these jeans?" Sally questioned Vivian. The woman considered the combination.

"Yes. But don't wear that belt with them, it'll look clunky." Vivian's stomach was showing. She was very pregnant. Their Chen was arriving quickly. He was due very soon.

Sally nodded, hanging the shirt on her arm. Etsu was sulking next to them. She hated shopping. It was a phase all little girls went through, especially tomboyish little girls like Etsu.

She was gradually warming up to that side of the family. Earlier in the year she'd marked them as suspicious and not a good family but they were both decent people. Etsu was a good little girl if not a little destructive. And Vivian seemed to be a fantastic mother.

Of course, Sally liked pushing people.

"Hey, Vivian," Sally said offhandedly, trying her hardest to conceal her smile.

"Yeah?" she asked absently.

"What do you know about boys?"

Vivian froze. "Um…"

"Obviously a lot, considering you've had two husbands," Sally mused. "What does it take to get a boyfriend?"

"Um…" Sally smiled and folded a pair of jeans over her arm. "Your boyfriend or husband should be your best friend first. And you should be good to each other."

_Well, I could have said that, _Sally thought bitterly to herself. "No, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about kissing and stuff." The truth was Sally knew about all of that stuff. Public school was an amazing thing for a kid. But she wanted to see if Vivian was willing to tell her.

"And stuff," Vivian repeated.

"Okay. I'm dying of curiosity. What's third base? A boy in my class has been going off about it and I don't know who to ask." She smiled innocently. "I mean… first base is kissing and stuff but I don't know what comes after that."

"Kissing's gross!" Etsu declared, shaking her head. Vivian knelt down almost painfully to pick her up.

"Don't bother," Sally said helpfully, lifting up the girl and settling her into her arms. "I'm really just curious."

She sat back and watched her stepmother squirm. Acting innocent was really funny. She'd have to tell Sofia all about it.

"Well, when a man and a woman… um… love each other very much…"

XX

"No. Don't make me go again."

Acacius rolled his eyes at Kim. "It helps. I swear."

"Fucking _therapists _do nothing for me but make me relive all of this shit and I'm done!" she shouted. "I'm more than done!"

"Calm down," he said quietly, jumping onto her counter. She was at the table, running her hands through her hair at fifty miles an hour. Keeping his temper with her was… difficult, to say the least.

She slammed her fists onto the table. "I'm not going to _calm down_. What, are you finally getting sick of your little sister?" she spat. "Sorry I'm being a hormonal _teenager_."

He frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't like me anymore."

He started to laugh. "So that's what this is about?" She stood up and walked to the wall in the kitchen, glaring at him. "You've got to be kidding me."

She rolled her eyes and flipped him off. "Sorry to waste your time, jackass. Why don't you just leave?"

"I'm not leaving until you come with me to his office."

"Fuck no!"

He sighed. "Then I suppose we're at odds with each other. There's an issue with compromise here. Either I buckle or you do. But I'm not relenting." She growled, frustrated, and threw her hands into the air. He slipped off of the counter and loped over to her. "Come on. It's a half an hour."

She shook her head. "You don't _get_ it. I hate every second of the drive, every second of waiting, every second of it, and then crash afterwards. I have a _life_."

"Every second of which I am with you. I realize your hardships, Kim."

"Quit talking like a goddamned scholar." She exhaled, closing her eyes. "Please let me skip."

"No."

"Fuck you!" She sank down the wall and looped her hands around her knees.

Acacius sighed, sinking down next to her. "What's _really_ wrong, Kim?" She looked at him. "It's not about the therapy. I mean, I know you hate it, but that's not everything." She shook her head.

"It's over. I retracted everything from the public view. And you treat me like I'm completely breakable. You don't _touch_ me." She scoffed. "It hurts, Ace."

He stood up. "What?" she asked.

"Get up," he ordered simply, the anger leaking into his tone. "Do it now."

"What, am I twelve again?" she asked darkly, obeying nonetheless. He pushed his hair back and exhaled incredibly slowly. He was trying to measure his anger.

"Kim, I love you, but you can be incredibly dense sometimes." He laughed at her. "Do you not think I've been as bad as you since all of this happened?"

She didn't respond.

"Because I have. I refused to touch you because if I broke you worse than you were, I wouldn't forgive myself. Understand that." He laughed again. "You do act like you're twelve sometimes."

She was about to say something but he cut her off, slamming his hands into the wall behind her, pinning her to it. "But you act old enough most of the time."

He grabbed her hair and kissed her. In Acacius' opinion, it wasn't kissing. It felt more like hormone-fueled teenage making out. But he truly didn't care.

She finally pushed him off of her. "Damn, where have you been?" she asked, a grin on her face. He glared at her and continued kissing her. She pressed against him, snaking her hands up his back and rubbing his shoulder blades. She tried to pull away but he didn't let her. He pressed her into the wall with all of his weight.

After about a minute or what seemed like five, she finally pushed him off of her.

"Holy crap," she said, her cheeks flushed. "Where has that Acacius been forever?"

He shook his head. "I'm not done with you." She put a hand on his shoulder and told him to stop. "You realize that this has made me incredibly angry and frustrated?" She snickered. "Shut up."

"What's this?"

"I get to do what I want if I let you skip therapy," he said, grinning at her. "You don't get to say no. Do we have a deal?"

"I don't know why I'd say no," she whispered, trying to take off his shirt. He grabbed her wrists and shook his head.

"Ah, ah, ah. Don't be so intent on taking off my clothes. Not yet."

"You aren't…"

"Propositioning you?" He shrugged. "Probably not. We'll see."

XX

Phoebe chuckled to herself. She'd caught the son of a bitch _finally_ with the Cordial slut. He was linked and she was going to destroy them. Why? Because he ruined her business opportunity.

Okay, it was more than a business opportunity. She really smelled something on him… something sunny. His mother or father must have been a good witch.

She shook her head in disgust at the two making out like hormonal children. It was disgusting, really, the way that humans expressed affection. But she had to deal with it. Especially if she was going to screw some stuff up.

As she walked away from Kim's house, she didn't notice as she ran into someone. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, looking up at the perpetrator.

She frowned. "You can't be Acacius."

The man laughed. "I'm flattered you think so but I'm not. I'm actually his father. Who are you?" She smiled tactfully.

"I'm Phoebe Adams, one of Kim' friends," she said without skipping a beat.

He shook his head. "You're wrong. You're not her friend. She lost all of her friends after the incidents. Who are you really?" he asked.

"Intuitive and smart. I like it." She smiled at him. "I have some questions about her and your son if you wouldn't mind." He frowned at her, his wrinkles on his forehead showing prominently. His age was apparent now that she looked, but he looked exactly like Acacius.

He shook his head. "I don't think so. I can't freely give away information like that. Information, as you know, Ms. Adams, is a commodity. You know that." She glanced down at her shirt. She could pull this off.

"Well, sir, I don't have money but… _I'm sure there's something I could work out_, if you know what I mean." She leaned into him and stroked his cheek. The man smiled and gently took it off.

"We can go to my office. I'll drive you."

She smiled to herself. _I can do something with this if he's anything like his father. _

XX

Geoff's life was in tatters. He was constantly looking over his shoulder for the blonde boy. If he had known that was going to happen he would have hit on another girl.

Connor seemed to have shaped up. He wasn't constantly complaining about Sam. It was a welcome reprieve from the constant complaints about not having her. "She's not even that hot," he commented, brushing his hair off of his forehead. "Get it together, Geoff!" He slapped his cheeks and returned to his job application.

Whatever the blonde kid had done screwed up his chances at getting even the shittiest of jobs. They turned him away after seeing his face or his name. How was he supposed to keep his house with all of that going on?

He rubbed his temples. It was hopeless. He had considered going into drugs except that was a lot of work.

He shook his head and Connor walked downstairs. "Still working on resumes?"

Geoff nodded. "Yeah, this time for the fast food joint." He snickered. "Oh, shut up! Just because you've got a cushy desk job doesn't mean you get to judge!"

Connor shrugged. "Whatever you say, brother. Hey, I heard about that bitch Kim."

"Wow, just now? That was at Christmas." He shook his head. "Bullshit anyway. I didn't try to rape her, she came onto me."

"Whatever. I'm just asking where she went. Did you… you know?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Geoff shook his head.

"She just vanished off the map. Not my problem, you know?" Connor grinned.

"Then we've got to go to the club soon. Find some new girls, you know?" Geoff chuckled, clicking send on his resume. "Unless you're emotionally attached to her or something. Or if your stuffy sister is stopping you."

He shook his head. "Great idea, bro." His cell phone rang. "One sec." The number was blocked but he answered anyway. "Hello, this is Geoff."

"_Hello, Geoff. This is your tax manager. We really need to meet tomorrow at the library at three in the afternoon._" Geoff frowned.

"Why? I thought you were on vacation," he asked.

"_Thank you for your time, Geoff. See you tomorrow._" Geoff sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, Connor, I think we'll have to postpone the clubbing," he said. "I've got a meeting with my boss tomorrow." Connor frowned.

"But you're unemployed."

Geoff nodded, sighing and picking up his stack of papers. "I thought so too."

XX

"This is therapy that freaking works," Kim said, smiling. Acacius shrugged as she perused her refrigerator. "I need to go shopping."

"You want me to go?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Nah, it'd be too time consuming." He gave her a look.

He shook his head. "I just spent two hours… with you instead of taking you to therapy which I was supposed to do. This could qualify me as a bad person. I'm pretty sure I can help you get food if you're hungry." She rolled her eyes and walked to the bathroom. "Don't ignore me!"

"Calm down, I'm fixing my makeup," she said. He chuckled.

"Girls." He rummaged through his jeans for his wallet. It wasn't there. He frowned and checked the rest of his pockets.

Trying to remember if he brought a jacket, he looked around for it. But he really couldn't find it. He didn't misplace things.

"Kim, do you know where my wallet is?" he questioned. She returned from the bathroom and shook her head. "Shit."

"Why?" she asked, glancing around. "It's not around here. Where could you have lost it?"

"Here," he affirmed. Shaking his head, he rested his eyes on her. "God, you're gorgeous."

"Why is it so imperative you find it?" she asked. He simply shook his head, kneeling down to the floor. "Come on. It's not that difficult to tell your girlfriend about it."

He nodded. "Someone was in your house while… um. Yeah. Whoever it was – and I have a hunch – took my wallet and something of yours… it was small, maybe a book? It would have a lot of names in it. Anything come to mind?"

She flopped down on the couch. "My address book? Who would want that? I mean, your wallet, yes, but why?"

He sighed. "I have a lot to tell you, honey."

XX

Justin and his father were throwing a football back and forth in the yard of their apartment building.

"You thinking of trying out for the team, son?" Jason asked. Justin shrugged.

"You think I'm any good?"

"Most definitely! Here, heads up!" He chucked it at him and he narrowly missed a football to the nose. "See? You caught that. All you need to do is bulk up and you're set!" Justin laughed and chucked it back.

They had a great relationship. Ever since his mother had gone off the deep end with losing her apartment, he'd moved in permanently with his father.

And his boyfriend. That was a little awkward.

"So, dad, how's, um, James?" he asked. His father's boyfriend, although a cool guy, was rather… flamboyant, for lack of a better word. Jason dropped the football and scratched his neck.

"Fine. You don't like him."

"No, it's not that. It's just weird, you know? My good old dad who was totally in love with my mom a year ago has a… boyfriend. It's… weird." Jason nodded.

"That's fair. I'm sorry for putting you through this. I mean… I'd let you move in with your mother but… that isn't safe."

Justin awkwardly smiled. "Um… it's okay, dad. You're really cool even if you have a boyfriend, right? How about we go upstairs and make something that boys like to eat."

Jason perked up. "Ice cream sundaes." Justin frowned. "Um… it's, uh, James' favorite." Justin shrugged.

"Invite him over. We can get to know each other."

The look on his father's face was worth the awkward situation.

XX

Carlos was back from his little "vacation". And he was absolutely pissed. He'd gotten a note from someone saying that the recording from Acacius hadn't been destroyed. If it had been, he would be willing to overlook the legality issue with it. But it wasn't.

That little blonde shit had kept him away from his family for a long, long time. It wasn't fair. Telling him to die in another town and telling Geoff to move to an Arctic wasteland? He had made sure that didn't happen.

No, no, this was unacceptable. After he'd beaten the living shit out of his harlot of an ex-girlfriend, he'd dumped her in an alley. He doubted she was dead but even if she wasn't, she would shut up as she was supposed to. She was silent. Geoff wouldn't betray him and neither would his sister. He was worried about Phoebe, a loose cannon, but he could sway her onto his side. And Armand was either too high on painkillers or in too deep with tax professionals.

He kicked open the locked door to his house. It was all dusty and unlived in. Of course, he didn't expect it to be worn in.

Surprisingly, as he turned the corner to his kitchen, he was greeted with two… oddly familiar faces.

"I'll riddle you with bullets, you piece of shit!" he gasped, pulling out the pistol he had become accustomed to carrying in his pocket. Riverblossom, it turned out, had a loose set of laws on guns.

"Calm down," Acacius said, throwing his hands up. "I'm not my son." Carlos frowned. The man was definitely older and… a little tanner. Other than that they were identical. "I met Phoebe today and we made a little deal."

The man smiled as Carlos slowly lowered his gun. "How'd you know I was coming home?" he asked shakily. The blonde Acacius clone smiled and pointed to his shoe.

"I stick tracking devices into everyone's things. I know everything about everyone in this town, Carlos Contender, uncle to Isabel Baldwin, great uncle to her two children, business partner of Geoff, and attacker of Kimberly Cordial, the woman my son, Acacius, is courting." He smiled.

Phoebe crossed her arms. "He knows his shit, Carlos."

"Oh, yeah, and where were you when I was sent out of town?" he asked huffily. "Forget your deal. I'm not game. I'll do it myself."

"Really? I'd be worried about that. Judging by your encrypted – badly, if I might add – phone call to Geoff earlier today, you really need some help," the blonde man said. "I'm willing to help you for a simple price."

Carlos fixed them both with dark looks. "I can do this alone, thanks."

Phoebe sighed. "No one listens." The man put a hand on her shoulder. Their body language _screamed _one-night stand or something of the sort.

"How much?" he questioned. "Out of curiosity, not of taking the offer."

The man chuckled. "You get that after I go over the terms of the deal."

"Fine, then shoot."

"Simple. Phoebe has a desire to screw up the Cordial sister's dying relationship and their relationships with boys. This includes Samantha's with Gabriel Green's, Gabriel's with Chastity's, Kimberly's with Acacius', and anything else she can get her hands on." Carlos stared at him. "She's playing Midsummer Night's Dream on their asses except it's a tragedy instead of a comedy."

"That's twisted."

"And she can get her hands on a variety of things," he continued, acting as if he didn't talk. The girl brandished two leather-bound objects. "This is my son's wallet and this is Kimberly's address book."

"Why do you need them?" Carlos asked curiously."

"No go, my friend. That's information you get if you accept. You have a desire, too. You probably want my son to suffer."

Carlos frowned. Whoever this was, he wasn't right in the head.

"What happened to love for one's son, Mr.… uh…"

"Arkadios Katsaros," he said smoothly. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. Anyway, you want him to pay and probably cough up those tapes he has a habit of making. And finally, you want to hide the town's little dirty laundry about Bella." Carlos frowned. No one ever mentioned that girl.

How did he know all of this?

"Fine. But what do _you_ get out of helping me with all of this if you even can?" he asked. "I'd suggest answering quickly because I have a firearm, Mr. Katsaros." He chuckled.

"You could kill me but I would guarantee it wouldn't last long for you, my friend. And I know more about this town than anyone here does. I can definitely help. We can make this a team." Arkadios smiled. "Consider it."

He turned to leave. Phoebe gathered the leather objects and tucked them into her pockets.

"Wait!" Carlos shouted. "I'll do it." Arkadios turned.

"Fantastic. I'll see you and Geoff at the Art Museum at three in the afternoon as you suggested." He didn't bother to ask how he knew it was the art museum.

"What do you get out of this deal?"

Arkadios smiled. "One simple thing: you make Acacius suffer and once he's done you kill him."

"Kill… kill your son?" Carlos asked. "That's crazy. He's your son."

"My wife was also my wife but I still killed her. Shouldn't have divorced me, the fool. He's just another person to me, as far as I'm concerned." He waved. "Thank you for the wine."

_What wine? _He noticed a bottle was missing from his counter. "Figures." He shook his head.

What had he gotten himself into?

XX

_TL;DR: Chastity convinces Gabe to finally talk to Sam and they make up in a romantic park. Benjamin and Isabel also make up after she recovers from her gunshot. Jessica is revealed to be alive (!) and living in Frances' hotel, deciding to move out. Tara and Tank talk college. Sally, Etsu, and Vivian go to the mall and Sally asks about the birds and the bees. Acacius tries to get Kim to go to therapy but she refuses and they end up doing some risqué business. Phoebe leaves Kim's house and runs into Acacius' father. Geoff gets a call from his "tax manager" telling him to come into work. Acacius loses his wallet and it means something important to him and Kim. Justin talks to his father about Jason's boyfriend. Carlos returns and is propositioned by Phoebe and Arkadios for a revenge plot. _

_Wow! What an interlude! Thank you for reading! _


	22. Chapter 19: Continuations

_A/N: I said it would get better from here on out? Yeah, for like half of the characters. For the other half it kind of gets really shitty and torture-y. Sorry. _

_Death. Death everywhere. Really you could have skipped to the epilogue (once it's written). I am so sorry. _

Chapter 19: Continuations

"Oh my god, she actually _explained_ that stuff to you?" Sofia asked Sally. It was the middle of a school day and they were outside for lunch. "And she _still_ bought all of your clothes?"

Sally nodded, taking a bite of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "That's awesome!" Sofia declared. The two giggled. "How have… you know… the graves been?"

Sally shrugged. "I don't know what's happening. Two people haven't died yet. I don't… could I be getting it wrong?"

The girls pondered that for a moment. It wasn't probable. The rest of the predictions had all come true. Maybe it was just late.

Sofia picked up some stones and threw them. "You going to that sleep away camp this summer?" Sally nodded.

"Wouldn't miss it. They have some wicked art classes." Sofia beamed.

"That and horse riding. I'm excited." The two laughed and continued eating their lunches.

Sally frowned and took out her sketchbook and pencils. She began to sketch. Sofia glanced over, seeing what she was drawing. It was on the last page again and she drew another grave.

"Another one?" Sofia asked. Sally frowned and erased it. "So…"

Sally shook her head and redrew it. Then she erased it again. After a few more cycles, she just threw it down.

"I don't get it," she said. "It keeps… it keeps changing. I can't tell if someone else is dying or not." She sketched in some more lines but ended up erasing them. "I'm so confused."

Sofia frowned and picked up her friend's sketchbook.

The bell rang. The two gathered their things and prepared to go back into the school.

"I'll figure out if someone else is dying or not," Sally vowed. "And then I'll text you all of the details from my talk with good old mom." Sofia giggled as the two started to walk back.

XX

Sam sighed. Kim hadn't picked up again. It had been a week since she'd talk to her and months since she'd seen her. She was really worried.

"What's up?" Gabe asked. Sam shrugged, pocketing her phone and turning to him. "Can't get ahold of Kim?"

"No," she said. They were at her house, something that Sam wanted to change. It was an old, dusty place. Especially with Kim gone, it seemed empty. "I can't." Gabe wrapped an arm around her stomach and pulled her into him.

He kissed right below her ear. "I'm sorry, princess," he purred. "You okay?" She nodded. "Can I make it better?"

"I said I was alright!" she protested, snickering. He shrugged. "What?"

"I don't care if you say you're alright." She elbowed him. "Hey!" He pulled her closer to him. "Are you glad we're back together?" he whispered into her ear. She turned around and flicked his ponytail up.

"Ecstatic. Now are you done?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow. "Because I missed you too." She tilted her head and kissed him.

"Hold it. Not that I have anything against this, don't you have a sister to look for?" he asked. She shrugged.

The drafty silence of the kitchen filled the room. It was dusty and hazy due to the windows and lack of upkeep. Sam had a hankering to clean it up. If only she didn't have work to go to in a few hours.

"We have a late night tonight," she commented, wriggling out of his grip. She smirked to herself and flopped down on the couch. "I have a few suggestions for you." He untied his hair and joined her.

"Shoot."

"Either we watch some mediocre television," she said, gesturing to her television, "or I express how much I missed you." He smiled.

"And how much did you miss me?" he questioned. She smiled suggestively and crawled on top of him.

She pressed into him and started to kiss him, slowly at first but then faster. "A lot," she finally said.

"I see," Gabe said. "Maybe you need to break up with me more often if it warrants this sort of behavior." She shrugged. "Or not as long as you keep this up." She simply smiled and pulled at his shirt.

XX

"Why wait until marriage when you can do stuff like this?" Kim asked. Acacius nodded, his eyes hard. "Did I do something?"

"No. It's just… I wish you weren't in trouble because of me," he said.

"Is it also my shitty house?" she suggested. He snickered.

"Yeah. It certainly suits my needs," he muttered. She smiled at him. Turning to face him in the bed, he kissed right between her eyebrows. He brushed some hair off of her forehead. "How'd you get so goddamned beautiful?"

She rolled her eyes. "Part of my charm. So what were you going to tell me before you got… ah… distracted?"

He chuckled. "So that's what you want to call it? Alright."

"You're avoiding my question," Kim complained. Acacius sighed.

"It's not an easy topic, darling," he explained. "I haven't told anyone." Kim raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"You force me to spill my heart to a complete stranger every week. I think you can afford telling me this." He sighed.

"You hold a fair point. But still…" She sighed. "Fine. My father is obsessed with mysteries and messing things up. This town has both of them now that I'm with you."

"So? Your father shouldn't have a hold over you," she said. He shook his head.

"You don't understand my dad. He is relentless at getting what he wants. And if he wants you or gets you I couldn't forgive myself."

She exhaled, flipping her bangs in the process. "Calm down. Nothing's going to happen to me, okay?" He shook his head. "Why, do you know something will happen?"

He flicked some blonde hair off of his forehead. "I don't. See these muscles?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "I saw them for about hour, if that's what you mean."

"Not like that. That's why I'm gone for all of those hours, doing stuff for him. That week in December, you know?" She nodded attentively. "He knows where anyone is at any given time and what they're all doing. He's dangerous, Kim."

Kim let a beat of silence pass before she nuzzled her head into the crook of his arm. "Would you let me get hurt?"

"No way," he said immediately.

"Then what's there to worry about?"

Acacius considered that. He made a face and tensed his stomach up.

"I've got to worry about getting my ass up and making you something to eat," he commented, smirking. He pushed his hair back and threw his shirt on. "It's what a good boyfriend would do, right?" She tugged him back. "Oh, come on."

"We can order something," she said.

"I'm not a fan of cheap Chinese food or college quality pizza," he explained, ruffling her hair. "And I'm a fantastic cook. I'll make you some pancakes." She snickered.

"Why pancakes?"

"Bitches love pancakes," he muttered, pulling his pants up and walking out of the room.

XX

Jessica was settling into her new house. However Frances had scored the house she didn't know but she didn't care, either. It contained two bedrooms, a balcony connecting them, a spacious kitchen, and a lot of windows. It was fabricated with light red bricks on the outside and in the master bedroom and living room.

In short, it was gorgeous and Jessica was already in love.

"Frances," she breathed, "this is too much. It's… amazing." Frances opened the door and gestured for her to come in. Jessica heaved the bags over her shoulders and walked in.

The living room was open to the kitchen. It was sparsely furnished with a black couch and a table with three chairs. There were appliances in the kitchen and a staircase leading up to the bedrooms.

She inhaled sharply. _This must have cost a fortune. _

"It's a rental property," she explained. "Dirt cheap, too. The owners are willing to rent it out as long as you put the checks in the mail every month. I have the details in your dresser." She smiled. "I hope it does well for you."

Jessica's eyes widened. It would do more than well for her. It was a beautiful house. A house, not a trailer, and two stories at that. It had been more than she had when she was a kid.

Her heart leaped. "This is incredible. Thank you _so much_, Frances. I've never had a friend like this before." Frances smiled.

"Neither have I, Jessica. You're a great person. I really need to be going now. If you need anything, my number's in the dresser." Frances put her hands on Jessica's shoulders. "Be careful."

Jessica nodded and Frances left. She discarded her bags by the door and sprinted up the stairs.

She felt like a kid at Christmas again. It was everything she could have hoped for. The hallway upstairs led to a bathroom with a bedroom on both sides. Why she would need two of them she didn't know but she didn't care. They were amazing. The master bedroom had a four-posted bed in it with sheets.

It came pretty furnished. There were pink curtains on the windows, a dresser, a rug downstairs… anything she might need she was there. She hadn't spotted a bookcase, though. There was a phone book next to the phone on the nightstand, though, so if she needed any of that she could get it.

"Alright, now for that dresser business," she said, padding over to it and opening the top drawer. Inside was a stack of papers, a shoebox, and a bracelet. She took out the papers and spread them out on the bed.

They all had red stamps on the top. She picked the first one up. It was a certificate of ownership of the house and her information was on the paper. That was to be of interest once rent time came. The other one, though, was a note.

_Jessica, your time spent with me was sacred. I cannot stay, however, and I am regretful of this fact. I am still worried about your protection and would like to make amends to this fact. _

_There is a bracelet in your dresser. If you wear it no one dangerous will be able to hurt you. I cannot explain how this will work but I trust you will trust me. I hope the house is good for you. _

_I hope we can stay in touch. Sincerely, Frances McCullough_

Jessica frowned and folded it up. She walked over to the dresser and opened it, putting the bracelet on. It was a tiny cold black thing, wrapped around her wrist like a little snake of some sort. It _looked_ like a snake.

She thought nothing of it. If Frances wanted her to wear a frilly necktie for the next year, she would just for buying this fantastic house. Frances had always been a little eccentric.

"Alright," she said, putting the papers back. Then she took the shoebox out. "Wonder what you're thinking about with this." She opened it and gasped.

There was a handgun with a permit in it.

_Why would I ever need this? _

XX

Phoebe paced back and forth across Arkadios' hardwood floor. She flipped his son's wallet in her fingers.

"Stop pacing. It's making me nervous." He glared at her. "Why do you need to be here, anyway? I can take care of it." Phoebe frowned.

"We're a team, aren't we?"

"No, you're my friend with benefits. I do everything else." He got up. "Please leave." Phoebe fixed him with a glare. "You're just a stupid little girl who I persuaded to sleep with me. Now get out of my house." Phoebe glared at him.

"I'm _not_ a stupid little girl," she said, whipping her wand out. "I can _kill_ you."

"As can I," he replied. "What're you going to do with that stupid little stick?" Phoebe's eyes widened and she struck a desk with it. It split in half and its remains blew up in smoke.

His eyebrows popped up. "So you're a witch."

Phoebe leaned back, crossing her arms. "Mark me surprised. I usually have to drill it into my associate's heads before they figure it out. Your son figured it out, though."

"He's a sensor. Of course he'd figure it out. He can smell anything on anyone." He ruffled his blonde hair. "His mother's a witch."

"Good witch," she said. "I guess you have a thing for good witches."

"She was more a bitch than a witch."

"And you killed her."

Arkadios shrugged. "Ruled an accident. Anyway, are you finished questioning me about my life?"

"Not yet," Phoebe said, sitting on his desk seductively. "Are you afraid of witches?"

He shook his head. "Not all witches. Some are easy to work with. Others are absolutely difficult and yet others are meddling psychopaths."

"I'm psychopathic and meddling?"

"It could be you I'm referring to." He got up. "If you're so intent on helping out then get up. Give me her address book." Phoebe took it out of her jeans. He flipped through it. "She's a cute girl if not a little promiscuous. Not right for Acacius if he'd listen to me but they seem happy enough." He took out a page from it. "Samantha Cordial. It's her old address. So Sam hasn't moved in with her boyfriend."

Phoebe watched him intently but was more interested in his mouth than what he was looking at.

"And we have her current address," he murmured, putting the little black book down. "I think I need to pay my good son a visit." Phoebe touched his arm. "No time for that, Phoebe."

"Come on." He shook her off.

"I'll be back. Stay here."

"Can't I come with?" He shook his head.

"Go home or something. Have a life. Jesus." He burst out the door and left her.

XX

Acacius was walking home. He didn't have a car and his apartment wasn't far. Really he was grabbing a shower and something to change into before he headed back over. He had to make sure Kim was okay. She claimed therapy didn't help but he didn't buy any of that

People who needed therapy generally didn't think they did. He wanted to believe that Kim was resilient and better but he didn't let himself.

Also sleeping with her was fantastic.

His lips twitched into a smirk in the quickly warming May air. The sun was sinking lower into the sky. It would be evening soon and he would return to her.

It was odd how she'd become his life. Instead of running errands for his father he'd put his energy into spending the least amount of time with him and spending time with her. She was incredible.

They were meant for each other. They were perfect when talking and moving… it was a miniature solar system for the two of them.

"_Love is a lie made up to allow pubescent girls to daydream about something other than school," _his father's voice echoed. _"All you feel is arousal or lust." _

"_Stop pumping lies through his head,_" his mother's voice responded. _"Just because you're an inane jackass doesn't mean he won't ever find love."_

"_Not with his personality disorder you're giving him, you fucking bitch," _his father responded. Acacius shook his head out. They sure had fought a lot until they got divorced.

And then he'd been tossed back and forth. And then he'd killed her.

Neither of his parents had been particularly great but killing one another wasn't the way to go.

He reached the door to his apartment and jammed the key into the door. It opened after some fumbling around and he got into his house.

"I didn't expect you home so early."

"Holy shit!" he said, jumping. "I… dad? Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to chat with my good little son," he said, padding up to him and rubbing his head. "What's that on your neck?" Acacius reddened and turned away. "Ah. So you finally did it. How was it?"

Acacius pushed his father aside and proceeded to his bedroom.

"So it wasn't as good as you hoped? Figures. Sluts generally don't _really_ know how to – "

"Shut up, dad," he muttered, rifling in his dresser. He wasn't really looking for anything, instead hiding his obvious blush.

"So it was really that bad?"

"No, it was fucking _fantastic_, dad. What do you want me to say? You probably heard the entire goddamned thing." Arkadios laughed. "What do you want?"

Arkadios clapped his son's shoulder and glanced over him. "You've been wearing these clothes for a while." Acacius gritted his teeth.

"That's why I came home," he muttered. "I'm grabbing a shower and getting new clothes."

"And going back over to the hooker's house?"

"She's not a hooker!" Acacius shouted, throwing his father's hand off of him. "Get out of my life!"

"Oh, is my little boy going through a rebellious stage?" he mused. "I think he needs some punishment. Do you want to go to my basement again?" Acacius froze. "Didn't think so. How about a nice little bruise across your back to explain to your girlfriend?"

"She _knows_," he growled. "Get out of my house!"

"You don't live here. How many times have you actually been here in the past month?" Acacius shook his head. "What, you don't have time for this right now? Is she waiting for you to come back? To come – "

"Shut up!" he yelled, clenching his fists. "Get the hell out of my house if you aren't going to get to the point!"

There was always a point he had to get to. If there wasn't something in it for Arkadios he didn't bother doing anything. A lot of people thought better of him but Acacius knew better than them. Growing up under his eye did that.

Arkadios put his hands up in resignation. "Calm down. I just wanted to check up on my son's relationship. So tell me, how long did you last?"

"Goddamnit dad, I'm not talking about my private life with you!" Arkadios sighed and laid on Acacius' bed. "Get _out_ of my house."

"Sorry, slip of the tongue. How long did _it _last?"

Acacius slammed his hands into the wall and closed his eyes. "Long enough." He turned around. "Can you just get to the point?" If he pressed it enough he would break and tell him.

"I don't have a point. I'm genuinely curious about your girlfriend and how many other men she's with." Acacius shook his head, absolutely frustrated. "But if you're really interested…"

He popped his head up, finally listening.

"If you'll do anything to get rid of me how about you loan me some money?"

Acacius gave him a look. "Considering you stole my wallet, dear old dad, I already have."

"That wasn't me."

"Yet you know about it."

"It was that witch you know," Arkadios said. "Phoebe?" Something registered in Acacius' mind. "Now you understand."

"Get it back _now_."

"That's your job."

Acacius sighed. "What do you _really_ want, dad? Stop dancing around the point." The fact that the witch had his wallet wasn't a good thing at all, but it was Kim's book he was worried about. His father got off of his bed and put his hands on his son's shoulders. Acacius cringed, bracing himself for whatever he was going to do.

In turn, his father gave him a hug. Acacius pushed him away.

"I've missed you, Acacius," he muttered.

"I call bullshit," Acacius murmured in reply, heading to the door. "Now _please_ get out."

XX

"Isn't it late?" Sofia asked Sally. The two were in the park, hanging around on the swing set. "I mean, obviously it's late. But too late for you is what… you know."

Sally pushed her hair back. "We'll see. Just a little longer." Her friend usually showed up in the park when she waited long enough. And she had a question that was desperate for answers.

The decision kept wavering in her mind. Someone died and someone didn't die over and over and over. Fate was either being really tricky – it could be, just not for this long of time – or someone was playing with someone's life.

Sally felt sick. Whatever this was supposed to be – the gift or whatever – wasn't so. It was a curse and a giant stressor.

"What about dinner?" Sofia questioned. Sally shook her head dismissively.

"Just a couple of minutes more."

They waited in silence, Sally's hand twitching for a pencil. She didn't want to waste another entire eraser hoping the person would finally decide.

Finally Frances showed up.

"Sally," she said, jogging up to her. "You can't be here. It's not safe."

"I need an answer," the girl said, standing up. "Something… someone… flickers on and off. It has been for a long time. Someone dies and someone doesn't die. What's happening?"

Frances glanced over her shoulder. "I'll answer it but you need to get home, okay?" Sally nodded.

"I'll leave once you answer."

"It's someone's decision to – to kill whatever person it is. The two people who are slated to die, that's going to happen regardless of what most people do to intervene. I – Sally?" Sally had closed her eyes and had her fingers on her forehead. "Oh, no. If you ignore it it'll go away hopefully. The person needs to make their decision. Now go!" Sally's eyes burst open.

"You're one of them."

Sofia grabbed her friend's arm. "Come on, Sally, let's go. She said to go." Sally was dragged off of the park property.

After she could barely see them anymore, she exhaled a sigh of relief.

Something punched into her lower back that hurt like a knife. Then it twisted. Frances fell to her knees, gasping.

"Time's up, little sister."

XX

At about two in the morning, Isabel was woken up by a phone call.

"Ignore it," Benjamin murmured, wrapping his arms around her protectively. "Who's waking you up in the middle of the night?"

She shrugged him off. "I told them to only bother me for an emergency."

"And?"

"This must be an emergency," she said, rubbing her face. "Damn, it's early." She picked up the phone and answered it. "Hey."

Benjamin watched her face change throughout the process of the call. "I… woman? Central Park?" She chewed her lip, scratching her short red hair. "Why wasn't this found earlier? Closed? But I…"

She glanced over to Ben.

"Please hold." She pressed the phone against her chest and looked at him.

"How serious?" he grumbled, resting his head on her shoulder.

She shrugged, scratching her arm. "Someone got killed. Knife wound to the back. It's somewhat serious." He nodded, kissing her shoulder.

"You can go. Don't let it take your life from you this time."

She snorted. "Like I need your permission." She got up and started to get dressed. He watched her like a hawk. "Jesus. I'll be back before six, alright? Promise." She bent over to kiss him. "Be _right_ back. Go back to sleep."

He sighed and ruffled her hair. "Alright, Isabel."

Isabel threw a jacket over her sleep shirt. It was too late to actually get dressed in her uniform. Dress pants and a jacket would just have to do.

_It's too early for this,_ she thought, rubbing her eyes and making a cup of coffee. Usually she abhorred the stuff but when she needed a kick-start she'd drink it.

"Mommy?" She turned around and saw Sofia in her pajamas standing behind her. Isabel paused.

"What is it, sweetie? It's two in the morning."

"Are you leaving again?"

_Shit. _"Yes, honey. It's important. I'll be back before school." There was something she wasn't telling her. "What is it, baby?"

"Is it about someone in a park? A woman?" she said, her lower lip wobbling. Isabel frowned. How would she know about that?

"Um, yes, honey. It's nothing to be worried about."

Sofia shook her head. "I… you need to talk to Sally about it!" She started to cry. Isabel knelt down beside her and pulled her daughter close to her.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked. "It's alright. What… what do you know about this?"

"We were in the park and Sally needed to talk to her and she came up and told us to get out and Sally got all scared and started talking about someone dying and then she saw someone getting killed and we saw someone else getting killed by the same person – mommy, it's so horrible!"

_Oh, god,_ Isabel thought, brushing tears off of Sofia's cheeks. "You're not in trouble, baby. But if you know anything about this, you'll have to tell us, okay?" Sofia nodded. "We'll talk in the morning. Go back to bed and I'll be back."

"I'm sorry!"

"Nothing to be sorry about," she whispered. "Go back to bed." She kissed her forehead and the girl went back to her room. She sighed. It was going to be a long day.

XX

"A seer," Phoebe stormed. "She has a _seer_!"

"Had. You killed her," Arkadios pointed out. "Rather dumbly, if I might add. You probably blew that poor sap's head off in that alley." She slipped on some high-heeled shoes and started to pace back and forth. "If you're going to pace, take those blasted shoes off."

She glared at him. "Why are you my partner again?"

"We're not partners. Don't get that confused into your little head," he warned. "You have some powers, sure. We have similar goals, yes. But we are _not_ partners." She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. What did you find out from him?" He materialized a key. "Well, well, well. A key. Whose is it?"

"It doesn't work on his door so either his office's or Kim's house. I'm betting on the latter, though. He enjoys technology." He rubbed the key with his thumb. "It would make sense he has one. They've lived together for months."

Phoebe shook her head. "According to your house ownership list or whatever, he still maintains his residence."

Arkadios snorted. "Yeah, he maintains it about as much as you go to your house as of late. I told you everyone is tracked. He lives at her house as much as he can until he _has _to leave. Looks like he lacks the gall to ask her to move in."

"Wouldn't that make sense, though?" she asked. "Girls generally move in with guys."

"If you live in a chauvinistic culture, which we don't," he corrected her. "He's simply shy about it. It will happen eventually if I don't do anything."

"You know a lot about your son."

"I know enough." He tucked the key into his breast pocket. "Look, I need some reconnaissance information that he won't give me. I figured you could use some disguises or something to get it out of him."

Phoebe shook her head, a sour expression on her face. "Why do you think _I _can do it?"

He laughed. "I don't know if you can do it but you're going to do it anyway if you value your life. Considering the body count on your hands I can ask you to get to the top of the Great Pyramids if I'd like." He smirked at her. "Now go."

"This is – "

"It doesn't matter how it is and it doesn't matter how you do it as long as you get it done without him figuring out what he's getting away. The only thing I need is his recordings' location."

She raised an eyebrow, asking him a silent question.

"He records all of his conversations with a little device in his shirt pocket. He only wears shirts with a breast pocket if you've noticed. Be it paranoia or something else, he always keeps it with him." Arkadios bit on the end of the key. "You need to obtain those."

"Is that legal?"

"Hell no. But no one finds out about it."

"Why do you need them?" she asked. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Must I explain every single career move to you?" he exasperated. "I want a backup plan if I can't kill him. Do you have a plan?"

"Yeah," she said, rubbing her jaw. "Definitely."

XX

_TL;DR: Someone will either die or not according to Sally. Sam can't get ahold of Kim but her and Gabe don't care at that moment. Acacius and Kim talk about him and end up making pancakes because who doesn't like pancakes? Jessica settles into her new house and finds that Frances left her a gun. Arkadios narrows his search on his son, the freak. Then he has an awkward reunion with his son. Sally gets her question answered by Frances but then she gets stabbed. Isabel is woken up at about two in the morning with the murder and realizes that Sofia has information on it. Phoebe gets angry over Sally's abilities and Arkadios assigns her to a task. _

_Ack. This story is fantastic but it's got to end soon. Please let it end soon. I've had enough drama. _


	23. Chapter 20: Heart and Soul

_A/N: Listening to the original Sims 2 Soundtrack makes me smile uncontrollably. This is probably not a good thing. _

_I am really sorry this took forever to get out. I've had a lot going on but hopefully it should begin to lighten up. That or I finish it… _

_Anyway, more dramas. Maybe. If I can get my head straight on what I want my plot to be like. _

Chapter 20: Heart and Soul

"It's so stupid that seniors get out of school early," Tara sulked.

"And it sucks that I'm spending the summer in Strangetown," Tank said. Justin eyed him carefully. "Okay, maybe not for _you_, Justin." He smiled serenely.

Tara socked him in the arm. "Come on, Justin. Lighten up." The group was hanging on the ledge outside of the school watching the sunset. It had been Ripp's idea to make a day out of it, bringing a basket of food and drinks along.

The Grunt boys were an interesting bunch. From helping her hook up with her ex to hanging out after school, it had been an interesting ride. Unfortunately it had to come to an end.

All great things had to come to an end.

"Come on, what am I going to do without my big brother? All I'll have is stupid Buck." He crossed his arms and flipped his long hair out of his eyes. Tara giggled at him and took a drink of her soda. "It's true!"

"You're ridiculous," she said. Justin got up and waved at them. "Where are you going?"

"Home. My dad's marked every Thursday as a bonding time with his new boyfriend." He shrugged. "Nice enough guy."

"Have fun!" Tank called. "What time is it, little brother?"

Ripp checked his watch. "Seven. Why?"

Tank sighed. "We might need to take her home. What say you, Tara?" She shook her head.

"It's not early. It's only seven. And it's only high school when you start on your homework at eleven," she declared. "Considering I have a giant report due tomorrow, we should leave at around ten."

Tank shook his head. "No way. I'm not responsible for your failing." He chuckled. "You still have to take finals as well."

"Ugh! Don't remind me!" Ripp sighed.

"I can't believe we're leaving right after school," Tank said. "This place has been really fun." Tara nodded thoughtfully. "I'll visit."

"You have to come _home_ when you visit, Tank," Ripp reminded him. "It was a condition of going to that special program."

"Was is? Huh. I didn't listen hard enough," he joked. Ripp laughed.

"Man, you used to be a bad brother. You got better when you were here. Don't tell me that'll go away!" Ripp said. They all laughed.

Tara sighed. "All great things must come to an end, though."

Tank nodded. "Speaking of endings, I'm taking you home. Check on your dad. Sure he's become a bystander to everything, but you have homework." She pouted. "It's not going to work. Come on." He pulled her up by her wrists. "Let's go."

"God, Tank, you're such a killjoy," Ripp said as the three proceeded to head to Tank's car.

XX

Jessica finally got home from work. She'd been working long hours trying to gain a footing of respect at her job. Without her former reputation she'd had nothing to work on. She liked it better this way, having to work for what she wanted.

Her paycheck was coming the next day. That would be even better. Having money for herself, a decent house, a job she didn't hate…

Getting back into the convenience store game – the Slacker track as they called it – was easier than she remembered, though. Beginning at the music store and working her way up to being a manager and eventually a party guest wouldn't take too long.

There weren't many men around her but she didn't care. All she was focused on was making a stable future.

She threw her keys from the car she'd managed to put a payment on to the counter in the kitchen. Next to where she threw them was the gun. "Stupid gun," she murmured. She picked it up and clutched the grip. The bullets weren't loaded into it and she kept the safety on regardless. She hadn't touched a gun before, let alone fired it.

Shaking it, she felt that the grip was surprisingly loose. She wiggled it and it split in half.

Inside was a piece of paper. She unfolded it and squinted over it.

It wasn't handwritten this time. It was typed with a computer, it seemed.

_Don't be afraid of it. Learn to shoot it. You're going to need it. _

"What the legitimate…"

She was interrupted by a knock at the door. Jessica walked to answer it.

As she whipped open the door, she asked a dark "What?"

"I – I'm sorry!" Carlos said, raising his hands in the air. "What – What are you doing with a gun?"

Jessica frowned, remembering she still had the gun in her hands. "Oh." She chucked it onto the table right by the door. "What do you want, old man?"

He shook his head. "May I come in?"

"No," she said harshly. "How did you find my house?"

"Your work." She flipped him off and shut the door. "I can help you!"

"I don't need your help!" she shouted back, walking upstairs and taking out a bundle of papers for her next job opportunity. Hopefully she would get a promotion.

Without any help from the jackass standing outside.

XX

"Honey, you're not in trouble," Isabel promised, sitting across from Sofia's friend in an interrogation room. She'd begged her bosses to not use one considering how intimidating they were but no one listened.

The girl was staring at her hands. She had her backpack. Her family was waiting outside of the room.

"We just want to know what happened and how you knew it would happen. Whatever you say you won't be in trouble." She had to emphasize that. The girl was twelve, after all, and her testimony might not even hold up for anyone.

Sally looked up. "Why is it important?"

"Because someone died."

"I know. And two more people are going to die," she whispered.

Isabel frowned. "What?"

The girl reached into her backpack. The guard stationed by the door reached for his gun. Isabel waved her hand at him. "Don't," she warned.

Sally slapped the book down on the table. "Every drawing's dated." Isabel tentatively picked the bundle of papers up and flipped them open.

The first page had a picture of her parents, a black-haired woman and a brown-haired man. They were in a park with her sister, a little black-haired toddler, and Sally watching on.

Continuing on, she saw images of all types. Some were of the girl and her family, some with Sofia and her together, some of Isabel and her family – mundane tasks and family affairs. Isabel remembered all of these things happening and the dates matched the timeframe she remembered them in.

A redheaded woman who resembled the one they had found dead was on many of the pages. She was talking to Sally but there was no indication that she knew she was going to die.

There was, however, indication of Ramir Patel's death.

The drawings were skillful for a twelve-year-old. They were beautiful and fun to look at. But they had all come true.

Sally looked up at her sadly. Isabel turned it over.

On the last page were graves with names and dates on them. Ramir, a row of question marks, and the redheaded woman's name: Frances McCullough.

Isabel looked up. "There are two more here."

She nodded. "I know."

"How do you know this?"

"I just do. It comes to me." She grabbed the book back. "Can I go home now?"

Isabel frowned at her. "Honey… do you have any idea who these people are?"

She swallowed. "The one – the one with the question marks – he died because of Phoebe," she whispered.

"And who is Phoebe?" Isabel asked.

"The lady who killed Frances and the kid who's head got blown off."

Isabel paused. "Do you know what this lady looks like?"

Sally nodded.

"Would you mind drawing up a profile of her? For my use." She smiled. "You can go afterwards." Sally pulled out a blank sketchbook and a pencil.

"Of course, officer."

XX

"Well, isn't this novel," Arkadios said, closing his laptop. "There's a warrant out for your arrest, Phoebe. It seems as if you are being indicted for killing two people."

Phoebe looked up from the chair she was sitting at. "What?"

"This will make things complex, won't it?" he said. "This sketch is spot-on, too." He chuckled and got up. "Do what you want to do fast and disappear." She got up after him and the two went to the kitchen.

"What do you mean a warrant? Like they're trying to arrest me?"

"Obviously," he snorted. "Don't be an idiot. Get it done before this weekend. I get bored here." She huffed and tried to touch his arm.

He shook her off. "No. Don't touch me."

"What?"

"I didn't ask for a relationship, dumbass," he said. "Get out and make it happen, okay? I'm done with you. I don't date convicted criminals."

"But I'm not convicted."

"Close enough." He gestured to the door. "Get out."

He watched her go reluctantly and chuckled. Hurting girls was entertaining to him.

_Time to get some work done_.

So he didn't really hate his son. He was simply a reminder of his wife. From what he heard he smelled like a witch and the smell of witch was permanently ingrained in his mind. She had smelled like sunshine inside on a too-hot day on a shirt…

Acacius was like him as well. They were incredibly charismatic and adaptable to a fault, so much that they both had issues with acting consistently around people. They could be violent or rude or polite or suave all in the same night.

He didn't particularly want to kill him but there was no choice to it. If he escaped or something he wouldn't look for him. He didn't care about his son or whom he was enthralled with for that moment. But he knew way too much.

Whatever. If Phoebe got enough out of him he would let him go. He mentioned killing him to scare Geoff and Carlos anyway.

XX

Phoebe stomped over to Carlos' house. She figured Geoff would be there because of his catatonic roommate. "Get up!" she yelled, unlocking the door with a flick of her wand. "Get up, get up, get up!"

The two roused from their positions on the couch. "What?" Geoff asked. "I went to Jessica and she didn't give me the time of day."

Phoebe frowned at him. "I don't care about your slut. I thought she was dead, anyways." She walked up to Geoff. "There you are, darling. Getting drunk all day doesn't become you."

"I can't," he said. "Get drunk."

"I don't care. We have a job to do!" she exclaimed, hopping on the lip of the couch. "It'll be fun. You know our friendly little target, right? The Katsaros boy. Today we get what we wanted." She lazily pointed to Geoff. "From you I'll need some rope, ginger. And from you, Carlos, I need a basement room of some sort."

Carlos frowned. "I'm almost positive that when someone says they want information they don't mean… what you're implying."

"Perhaps not, but that's how I'm getting it. Now move!" she shouted. Geoff startled. "What, little boy? Are you afraid of loud noises? The dark?" Geoff shook his head. "Then go! And don't think I'll dole you money for it either." She glared. "Must I always be the brilliant mastermind in these plans?"

She grabbed Carlos' remote and aimed it at the television. "Get me once you're finished."

XX

"Are you almost ready?" Acacius called. "Women," he added dismissively.

"I heard that!" Kim shouted in reply. "Calm yourself, Ace. I'm finished." She emerged from her room. "The real question is: are you really wearing that?"

"What's wrong with it?" he asked, glancing down at his shirt. She shook her head and grabbed his arm. "Oh, you little…"

She kissed his cheek. "Thank you. Now let's go. I wouldn't want to be late."

"How'd you score a day off?" She shrugged.

"Ever since I went off of the deep end they unofficially fired me. So it wasn't incredibly difficult."

Acacius frowned. "Then how'd you score this house?"

"I was saving up in the first place." He nodded, rubbing her shoulders. "It's a nice house, don't you think?"

"I think it matches its owner. Absolutely perfect," he said, kissing her neck. She shoved him off.

"Don't distract me, Acacius. We have to go." She giggled at him. "I'm serious!"

He sighed. "Fine. Let's go."

XX

It was a beautiful spring day at Sam's house in the backyard. Under the trees it was a little bit chilled but in the sun it started to get too warm. It was the perfect day.

To Sam, it was more than perfect. Her sister was back with her.

"This is a nice day," Kim commented. Sam smiled and turned to her. "Ah, are the questions starting right about now?"

"You know me, Kim," she said. "How is he? Is he… good to you?" Kim snorted. "What?"

Both of their boyfriends were across the yard talking, the same as them. They were probably discussing them. It was to be expected, of course.

"Of course he is. If he wasn't your boyfriend would be beating him to a bloody pulp, Sam. Even if he was overpowered he would manage." She smiled. "See? I told you."

Sam stretched lazily. "Why'd you move out, Kim? I miss you. Are you feeling better?"

She nodded carefully. "I'm feeling better. I'm… over it, if that's what you mean. And I moved out because of how unnatural it is for two sisters to live together. You know how it is, right?" she asked. Sam pouted. "Don't do that."

"I like your hair short," she said. "It suits you."

"I like your hair long," Kim replied. "It's really cute." Sam thanked her and the two sat in serene silence.

The silence between them was an okay silence. It wasn't awkward.

"Do you think it's a good thing, Kim?" Sam asked. "That you moved on."

Kim considered her. "Yes. My new house, even though it's small, is great and cozy and useful and it's helped me get ahold of myself. I can forget… I can start over a little, you know?"

"You seem happier," she commented. "I'm glad you're happy now. Have you scored a new job?" Kim scrunched her nose up. "So no?"

"Nope. Nothing has opened up except ones I would suck at like heavy lifting. I need one, though. My money's quickly running out."

"I can always – "

"Never. I don't borrow money, Sammy." She smiled and gazed over at where Acacius and Gabe were talking. "Do you wonder what they're talking about?"

Sam smirked. "Probably their fantastic girlfriends. We should get some ice cream or something later."

The boys were indeed talking about their girlfriends but perhaps not in the way they intended.

"And you're not hurting her at all?" Gabe pressed. Acacius simply brushed him off again. "I swear, if you hurt her and consequently hurt Sam, I will hurt you."

Acacius sighed. "I swear there is nothing I would do to hurt her. Calm down, Gabe. Who's to say I shouldn't be grilling you?" he asked. "Anyway, she's gotten better under my care and watch. I wouldn't hurt her for the world. Got it, kid?" he asked. Gabe frowned. "Kidding! Calm down."

Gabe glared at him. "I swear, Acacius or whatever you call yourself."

"It's alright. I could probably beat you in a fight anyway."

"I doubt that."

"Alright, alright!" Kim called. "Cool down, boys. Do you want to take us out for ice cream?"

Gabe furrowed his brows. "Whatever you want, Kimmy," he said. "Ah… this is kind of difficult to phrase, Gabe. When you two are… you know…"

"What, exactly, are you asking, Acacius?" Gabe asked, annoyed.

"Is it… unusually…"

"Fantastic? Yes," he asked, rolling his eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Figuring out whether it was a fluke or if it was hereditary. I mean, isn't it every dude's dream to do twins?"

"Shut up!" he said. "You're insufferable."

"Which is why I date the more interesting twin," Acacius countered. Gabe gave him a deathly glare. "Okay, Kim, let's go."

XX

Ana Patel absently massaged her stomach as she wrote over the release for her child to go to daycare in the daytime. She was so busy with her job in the culinary track that she couldn't watch little Lila at home. The two babies that were growing were becoming antsy, she felt. They weren't particularly far along but they enjoyed being rowdy. She had the feeling that they were going to be rambunctious when they grew up.

She'd picked out one name. It was going to be Ramir, little Ramir. The girl, though, she didn't have a clue.

Being on her feet all day was tiring but it brought in enough money to keep her new house and continue the bedrooms for all of the children. There were four. They would all have their own.

"Oh, Lila," she hummed. "Whatever should we do without your father, baby?" The girl was in a crib in the study that was also a vacant bedroom, most likely for the little girl. The girl periodically sighed, deep in sleep.

The girl was beautiful to Ana but she wasn't sure if anyone else would think her beautiful. She had always been insecure like that. She feared for her daughter's future: would she be bullied because of her lack of father? Would she be ostracized or something because her father had been shot? Or would it be because her mother didn't have a husband?

It was no matter and unimportant until she began to talk and that would be a few months off.

The windows were open in her home allowing the air of the day into the house. She had been working so hard she hadn't been able to notice the shift in weather. Between her job and moving in and preparing for the new children and taking care of the present one she was busy and had little time to reflect before falling asleep.

But she still tried to keep her head up.

She'd put away her feelings about her deceased husband. She had loved him but there wasn't much room for grieving with so much to do. If he had been alive and helping her through this…

The form was finished. It was time to get some actual work done.

XX

Jessica leveled with the gun. She'd been out to the shooting range like she had been instructed to. She ended up having a knack for it and could hold it without shaking and could actually hit a target.

She was proud of herself. But now it was just… sitting out.

Jessica hadn't the slightest clue about conceal and carry permits or how guns were supposed to be handled. Did she just throw it on the coffee table or bury it in a drawer in the back of the house? Was it illegal to just have it out? Did she have to have a holster or something?

She sighed and glanced at the case of bullets it had come with. They had at least been halved by the time at the shooting range. If it were up to her, she would get rid of the thing and be done. But it wasn't. It was up to Frances…

Who was dead…

She sighed and tossed the thing away onto the bed. Of course the safety was on because she still wasn't okay with it but it was safe. Hopefully.

As it hit the fabric it shook… strangely. If she had thrown something over there it might have bounced and rested. The gun didn't, though. It seemed to quiver. And it wasn't stopping.

She bolted up and backed away from it. _Nope, nope, nope. I have nothing to do here, _she thought. It continued to shake as she left it and went upstairs to read some more.

"Wait."

Jessica froze in her steps. What was that?

She turned around slowly and looked at where she had dropped the gun. It was there… but so was something else.

"I really need your help, Jessica."

XX

Isabel rubbed her temples. This case went nowhere. There wasn't genetic evidence and all she had was the testimony from a girl who apparently could see the future – something that most definitely wouldn't hold up in court.

The suspect had a warrant out for her arrest, of course. Anything they had would be prosecuted because of the possible – probable, according to Sally – connection to the earlier murder and because they were literally grasping at straws.

"We'll pin her down," Shannon promised. "She's not going to get away with it."

"What if we can't find any evidence? Then there will be more murders and this entire case will go to hell!" she yelled, burying her face into her arm. "Not to mention the lack of conviction for the assassin of our own _mayor_. The people must think we're incompetent!"

Shannon rubbed her back. "Cheer up, Isabel. We'll get this done." He rubbed her hair and got up. "You're a fantastic cop even when you're doing mostly desk work."

"I'm basically a detective, Shannon. Not exactly what I was hoping for, you know?" She sighed and stood up.

"Oh, I hate it when you pace," he complained. "We will find her and convict her for killing those two people and the mayor." She chewed her lip.

"Did we get any information on the woman? The man was a teenage kid involved with gangs but the woman had… nothing." Shannon's finger flew up and dashed to his desk. He retrieved a set of files.

"She owned a hotel right outside of town. There's some more stuff but nothing of substance. So we have… kind of a lead?" he asked. She sighed as the phone rang.

Shannon jumped up to answer it. "Y'ello?" He frowned. "Yeah, this is her office. Do you have clearance to get in?"

Isabel rolled her eyes and snatched the phone from him. "Hello, this is Isabel Baldwin."

"So formal, darling," Benjamin said softly. "Am I allowed to see you?"

"Me too!" the tiny voice of Marcus added. She smiled.

"You get family rights. Come on," she said, hanging up. When Shannon looked over curiously, she rolled her eyes. "It was my husband, genius."

He reddened and took a seat.

Once her family arrived she calmed down a fair bit. Benjamin brushed her hair off of her face.

"How's everything going?" he asked. She shrugged. "You should come home."

"Where's Sofia?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Sleep over with Sally. Come home, baby," he said, caressing her cheek. She shook her head.

"I – I can't… This case…"

"This case can wait, honey. Can it wait, Shannon?" he asked. The man shrugged, a smirk on his face. "Please say yes. I miss my wife. Don't you have a girlfriend you can equate her to?"

He shrugged. "I have a job. And a cat."

Benjamin fixed him with a look. Isabel simply chuckled.

"I'll leave, Shannon," she said. "See you tomorrow." He sighed. "But if you want I can stay." He shook his head and smiled.

"Have a nice evening, Isabel," he said, waving her off.

XX

Acacius was a little panicky. Everything was flying out of control. He hadn't been able to get ahold of his father for days, which was always a bad sign. Something was coming on but he had no idea who was orchestrating it. He suspected it was that witch's doing, Phoebe, but he had no proof of it. Managing to hide it from Kim was easy, but sometimes… it would be a lot easier to just tell her that he was in trouble if his father were talking to him.

What really made him angry was the realization that it wasn't anything Kim was doing – she was simply a pawn, a piece of bait. It was his involvement with her that was wrecking it.

He had no idea what he had done or what was coming. That was what killed him – the not knowing. If he knew what was coming – and something was – he could prepare for it.

He was in too deep, though. "Fuck!" he yelled, kicking some sand up from the alley. He was trying to find Carlos to apologize or something. If he would leave them alone it would be okay.

"Sir?" He turned to his left where he heard a voice. A woman wrapped in rags over her head was standing, clutching a bundle. "Would you please help me?"

He frowned. There weren't beggars this desolate in Belladonna. They were out of sight. The old mayor had taken care of them.

Maybe the new administration was that cause. He shrugged.

"Um, sure. What do you need, miss?" he asked, cocking his head at her. The woman had light, imploring eyes. Whatever she was holding moved around like a baby. It was a sad sight to see.

"Could you… spare some change?" she asked, bouncing the baby. "I have a… a coffee cup in my arm." He frowned and rifled in his pockets for something to give her. He wrinkled his nose, smelling something suspicious…

Walking closer to the woman, he prepared to deposit the change to her. But then he smelled it.

The façade faded away and he saw Phoebe with a gigantic grin on her face. "Touch me," she said. He tried to back away but she managed to grab his wrists and touch her wand to him.

"Get away from me!" he shouted. She chuckled.

"Too late for that, Acacius."

XX

_TL;DR: read it. It took like a month to do. _


	24. Chapter 21: Intercutting

_A/N: I'd like to thank all the readers again because of how crappy everything's been going. Getting reviews saying stuff like "write more!" or "you're a really great writer!" seriously make my day. Thank you so much! _

_Also: cussing. And bad writing. Sorry. _

Chapter 21: Intercutting

"We have a wonderful family," Vivian commented, watching Sally helping her younger sister Etsu pick out a dress for her recital they had today. She was playing the piano, a skill she'd been taught at school. It was remarkably adorable.

Timothy nodded. "That we do. Are you excited for their recital?"

They had managed to move out of their cramped apartment to a house – an actual house – with enough bedrooms. Well, Sally and Etsu still had to share but neither of them had any beef with that as far as they were concerned.

Vivian smiled. "I'm ecstatic for their recital." She frowned at something fluttering in her stomach.

"Sally! Etsu! Are you about ready to go?" Timothy called jovially. Sally looked up and handed Etsu the gauzy white dress. She nodded at him. "Alright, let's get going."

"Uh… honey?" Vivian said."

"Hm?"

"I do believe my water just broke."

Timothy tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well. That might be a problem."

She nodded. "Yeah. We have some kids who need to get to a recital." He took a deep breath.

"Alright, Sally, I need your help." She bounded up to him and nodded. "Do you think you can walk your sister to the school? It's only a few blocks away."

Sally frowned. "Are you guys not coming?"

"Well… your stepmother is going into labor." She smirked and nodded.

"Leave it to me, dad." She returned to Etsu to presumably take care of the situation.

Timothy smiled. "Now let's get you to the hospital."

XX

"I thought I smelled witch on you, witch," Acacius spat. Phoebe smirked and giggled at him.

He hated giggling. And she was giggling incessantly.

"I smelled witch on you, too. Good witch. That's where you get the stupid sensing powers from, your mother. Your father told me all about that." She laughed, looping some rope around his wrists and ankles. "Alright, let me introduce you to your torture chamber."

_You're insane,_ he thought to himself.

"You hang from here by your wrists – and yes, that is hell on your shoulders – and get beaten by Carlos and Geoff and anyone who feels like it! Then you die."

He felt his heartbeat speed up. "Die?" He couldn't die. Not with them after Kim. After she was safe he'd drop dead. But not now.

"Yes, die. Your father ordered it, actually."

"Why, once you finished fucking him you got upset it wasn't me?" he asked. She grabbed her wand and with one flick, sliced through his shirt. It fell off. "I knew it."

"I wouldn't be laughing, Acacius," she said, muttering something. The spark of something erupted from the tip of her wand and flew to his chest, burning into it. He shut his eyes and cringed. No one got the satisfaction of seeing him scream or cry.

It felt like an eternity before it was over. When it was finished, a neat dark red line traced his sternum right to the end of his ribcage.

"I'm not allowed to carve obscenities into you because I don't get to do the torturing," she explained. "I'm not sure why it would matter, though. You're going to die anyway."

He panted and wrung his hands together. That _really_ hurt. "I can't die."

She giggled, flicking her wand up. His wrists were wrenched upward and attached to the ceiling. Now he was sure she was a witch. But what could he do about it now if he was tied up like a piece of meat?

"I guarantee you can, Acacius," she said, turning and walking out of the room. "Start yelling once you lose feeling."

His heart sank. This was more than bad. It was insane.

XX

"Please listen to me!"

"Holy shit, you're dead!" Jessica screamed. "I saw it on the news! They called me to identify the body! What are you _doing_? And inside of my gun?"

Frances crossed her hands politely in front of her. "I'm still very much dead."

"Then what are you doing here?!"

She smiled and took a seat. "I still exist in a sense, however. In your gun." Jessica squinted. She noticed that Frances was not whole whatsoever. She was shimmery and see-through and a light blue color.

"Let me explain everything, Jessica, because I really need your… tangible abilities."

And she had. Now Jessica was even more confused.

"So… you knew this was going to happen?" Frances nodded. "So you… implanted yourself… into my gun."

"It's much more complicated, but in essence, yes."

"In this state… or whatever it's called… you can't die?"

"Considering I'm already dead, yeah, I can't die." She smiled.

"And you did this because you're a witch."

"Exactly."

Jessica leaned back against the couch. "You'll have to forgive me. This is incredibly weird. Why… why do you need me?"

Frances sighed. "I am not tangible. I cannot hurt anyone. But my counterpart I told you about, Phoebe, she can and she is going to."

This was about as weird as it could get. She had marked Frances as dead. The funeral had been meager if not completely sparse. She had seen the body.

Wasn't she supposed to be dead? Wasn't Jessica supposed to be living her quiet life?

"And… what is she going to do? Like, what do you need me for?"

"I know, Jessica, that you would like to continue out your life. I just need this one favor from you. Please." A look of fear flitted over her face. "They deserve their happy ending."

Jessica frowned. "Who are _they_?"

"I… it's a long story."

"I have time."

Frances sighed. "Okay."

She settled into her seat and grasped the gun. "Ever since they were kids, my sister and I – Phoebe – had our eyes on the Cordial children. It… it had always been a sort of important to her and knowing how bad she gets I needed to keep an eye on them." She sighed. "It was her doing that screwed up their relationship in high school. Of course they never knew that."

Jessica frowned at her. "The Cordial sisters… those cute little black-haired girls? They moved here from another town. Were you two there or something?"

"Yeah. Their grandmother dabbled in magic or something and it attracted Phoebe. Twins with a magical disposition would be a witch's dream."

"Why?" Jessica asked.

"Because most witches have normal lifespans. A good and a bad witch who were allies? The town would be in perfectly chaotic hands. Phoebe lives for chaos." Francis chewed her lip. "We… there are two types of witches. There are the ones who were turned and there are the ones who transformed. The ones who turn are the ones another witch transforms. Then… there are witches like me. Like us."

Jessica rubbed her chin. "What does this have to do with the Cordials?"

"All she's been doing is wrecking peoples' lives her entire life. When she started going after Samantha, I… Samantha Cordial reminds me of myself. And if she wrecks her or Kimberly's life again, I won't be able to forgive myself. She broke up my boyfriend, she killed my mother and then my father, and she forced me to do whatever she wanted. Before she was a witch."

Jessica watched her calmly.

"I know – I know what I'm asking you to do is impossible and considering the lack of background you have, it's ridiculous. But… I can't do it anymore." Frances looked at Jessica. "There's only one way to kill a witch like Phoebe."

"Yeah?"

"You need to get her when she least expects it. And I have a plan, if you're willing to help me." Jessica sighed.

"Fine. I'll do it. Tell me more about these Cordial girls."

A look of relief washed over Frances' face. "Thank you so much."

XX

"We have to find who this is!" Isabel yelled in frustration after a call came about another dead body. "Oh… sorry, honey. What's wrong, baby?"

She had brought her daughter to work since it was a conference day. And at that moment, her daughter was crying. "Sofia…come here."

"I'm sorry, mommy," she whispered. "It must be my fault people keep dying."

Isabel shook her head. It most definitely wasn't her fault but all she could talk about was the crimes happening in the city. Sure, it wasn't the biggest crime spree that had happened but it was the most perplexing. All leads led to nowhere. And her daughter and family were impossibly intertwined into the case.

"Honey, it's never your fault." She shushed her daughter and smoothed her hair back. "This is some crazy guy's doing. You have nothing to do with it." She looked up at her. "What is it?"

"I just want it to be over," she whispered.

"Me too, sweetie." There was a knock at the door. "Alright, baby. Go sit over there for a second. I have to take care of this." The girl nodded and Isabel got up. She took a deep breath to try to regain her composure.

Shannon was out of the office for the day. He was spending a family day with his brother and sister and his niece and nephew. She didn't think that she would need his help… but she was quickly beginning to believe that she was wrong.

"Yeah?" she said, opening the door. She frowned. "May I help you?"

"Isabel Baldwin, I presume it?" the man said, pushing the door open. "I have some information about the person you have a warrant out for." She frowned and crossed her arms angrily. "Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "Generally one waits for an invitation to come in."

"Generally cops aren't so bad at their job they can't catch a reckless crook at large," he challenged. Isabel gritted her teeth.

"Fuck you!" Sofia looked up in shock. "Sorry, sweetie."

The man smirked and crossed his arms. "The name's Arkadios Katsaros. I'm on the mayor's security detail. But you knew that." Isabel furrowed her brows until she recognized the man. She'd seen the man at the fateful speech where the mayor was killed and working on the case too. "You know that."

"What are you doing here?" Arkadios smirked and pulled up a chair, sitting on it in reverse. "I'm trying to work."

"With a child here?" he questioned. Shaking his head, he continued. "Anyway, I have information on your warrant you put out. I mean, I know pushing desk jobs is one of your many dreams, but I feel as if this information would really help you." Isabel paused and took a seat across from her daughter.

She glanced at him. "Shoot."

"Of course, I need immunity. I can't get in trouble for saying this. You understand, right?" Isabel rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Please, Mrs. Baldwin."

"Fine. Just talk, Katsaros." He smirked. "What is it?"

"I'm curious as to how much time this job takes out of your home life, Isabel." She glared at him. "I'm sure there's some marital strife that comes along with the heavy work load."

"This really isn't your place even if what you're saying was true," she growled.

He simply chuckled. "I've worked with your warrant and I still am." She glanced up at him curiously. "You have a name and a drawing but you don't have an actual picture, of course. Typical." He scoffed at her.

"Mr. Katsaros," she spat, "please get to the point. I have work to do."

"Yet you bring your daughter in. How productive is that?" She turned and saw her daughter on the verge of tears. "Yeah, your daughter who caused all of this to happen."

"You fucking son of a bitch," she hissed. "Get out."

He smirked. "Well. Aren't you a bit short today?" She shook her head and grabbed her daughter's arm.

"Honey, will you go down to the lobby for a little bit? I'll be right down," she said. Her daughter nodded and left the room. She turned to the man and sighed. "Please. Just be done with it."

"Do you want my lead or not, Isabel?"

She considered it. "Are you going to insult me again?" she questioned darkly.

Arkadios stood up and walked over to her. "Isabel Baldwin," he said. "Your uncle talks about you quite a bit." She frowned at him. "He always talks about how pretty you and your daughter are."

She gritted her teeth. "Will you get to your point?"

Arkadios had been rumored to use his presence to bully people into doing what he wanted. He was ruthless and incredibly good at what he did. Isabel was willing to give him what he wanted if she knew what it was.

Which she didn't.

"What do you want?" she asked. He shrugged and relented away from her, resuming his seat in the corner. "Please, Mr. Katsaros."

"You have a short temper," he mused. She clenched her fists, resisting the urge to hit something. "Alright. I have her picture." He reached into his pocket and materialized a piece of paper. "This is Phoebe Adams. She's… dangerous, if you catch my drift."

Isabel snorted, glancing over it. "Of course she is. She killed three people, if not more."

"No, you don't understand, Mrs. Baldwin. She's a witch. You could easily die from pursuing here. Which is why I decided to come here personally instead of simply anonymously giving this to you." He smiled and stood up. "How's your husband?"

She frowned. "Perfectly fine."

"Are you positive? I hear from some of the boys around the office that you two can't agree on anything. You're distant." She didn't react. "Have you two fallen out of love?"

"Of course not," she responded. "I…"

_Still love Benjamin, _she thought, but she let it drop. He wanted to get a rise out of her. That was all he wanted.

"You what? You've given up? Because that's what happens through every single love there is. Marriages always end, or worse, they stay together. Is that what's happening, Isabel?"

"Go to hell," she muttered. "Get out of my office."

"Do you still want what I'm suggesting you do?" he questioned politely. She sighed. "I want you to remove yourself from this case, Isabel."

She paused for a moment. Then she gave him an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me? Of course I'm not taking myself off of this case. Do you know how much time I've invested into this? How much shit I have to deal with because I'm trying my hardest to juggle two kids, a husband, and a high-profile murderer?" She exhaled in a short laugh. "Yeah. I'm totally taking myself off of this case."

"Your time invested may be your last," he warned. "This woman will kill you. You've seen it before." Isabel glanced over to him. "I don't want to see your family die. She'll go after them once she has you."

Isabel looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"She has a penchant for torture."

"Get out," Isabel said darkly. "Get out, Mr. Katsaros." He strode up to her and grabbed her wrists.

"I don't want you to die," he said. "Do you want Sofia to die? Do you want her to have to watch her mommy and daddy's intestines ripped out and hung up around them?" She shook his hands off of her. "Or what about the boy? Will she enjoy watching him ripped up by – "

"Stop!" she yelled. "Get out!" He slammed her wrists into the wall. "Get off of me." She fixed him with a frightening glare and kicked his shin. To her surprise, he didn't flinch.

He sighed. "Fine. You can do what you want." He turned and went to the door. "I'll keep you posted on anything I hear."

She sank down into her desk chair. It was only two in the afternoon and she had to stay late, yet she was already done with work.

XX

"What do you want?" Acacius asked the second the group walked into the room. "Where am I?" The question had just occurred to him.

"You don't get to ask the questions," Phoebe sang. He gritted his teeth, trying desperately to keep quiet. "Meet your former business associates, Carlos and Geoff. They're both very angry. And Carlos is a trained boxer."

"I can deal with being beaten," he muttered.

"Probably not with your girlfriend being beaten, though," she mused. "Which is why we have a few pieces of information you want." She laughed. "Information is a commodity. It has a price."

The words were his father's, perfectly mimicked. He felt his stomach turn. Of course his father was in on it. Why didn't he understand that before?

Of course his father was orchestrating it.

But… it didn't make sense. He didn't need to use brute force to get what he wanted. He could simply pressure people with information he had since he knew _everything_.

And he refused to actually use someone against another, regardless of how much he threatened it.

"Don't touch her," he warned. He saw Geoff standing in the corner with his arms crossed. The man didn't look excited to be there at all. He wouldn't use him, either. Arkadios hated dependence – one reason Acacius was kicked out the second he turned eighteen. He wouldn't _use_ anyone else. He would do it himself.

Phoebe spun her wand in her hands. "That's one bit of information I need from you. Where is she?"

He noticed that Carlos's hands were wrapped up in white tape. The elderly man didn't look particularly happy either but there was something in his eyes that was a little evil, a little revenge-hungry.

"Fuck you," he muttered. Phoebe smiled at him and gestured to Carlos.

Finally it made sense. He was hung like a punching bag.

Acacius laughed. "You're going to have to try a little harder than that. My father hits me way more than you will."

"We'll see about that."

XX

"How do you know what's happening?" Jessica asked curiously. Frances shrugged.

"I just know now that I'm dead."

Jessica let the silence fill the beat. "What's it like, being dead?"

Frances smiled. "It's really great. If you have unfinished business you have to do it. After that, you go into a deep sleep and wake up as someone else." Her eyes popped open. "Really, Phoebe? You don't have a motive?"

"What do you mean?"

"I need something to go on from Phoebe. Greed or revenge or something, you know? I thought Arkadios was doing this to his son. But he isn't. All he wanted was his son's tapes destroyed He wanted the evidence to go away. But Phoebe…" she cut herself off, glancing at Jessica. "She's torturing him, you know."

There was a soft sputtering from the blonde girl.

"Phoebe… her power's unchecked now," she said softly. "I really – "

"I already promised you I would help you, okay?" Jessica said tersely. "What do you need me to do?"

Frances smiled worriedly. "When the time comes, we can get at her. At the present, though, she is untouchable."

"So the guy just gets tortured?" Jessica asked. Frances nodded sadly. "Fine. Tell me when I need to do whatever." She turned and walked up the stairs. "I'm going to take a nap."

XX

"Someone says they have an appointment with you, Mr. Grunt," Buzz's assistant said from the door. "A… Mr. Katsaros?" Buzz frowned and waved the assistant away, telling him to let him in.

What was Katsaros doing there? There was no appointment.

He waited for a bit and finished the bit of paperwork he had been struggling with. Finally the door creaked open and Arkadios came in.

"Good afternoon, Arkadios," Buzz said pleasantly. "How may I help you today?"

"You're the leader of the police force. Impromptu, at least. Take Isabel Baldwin off of the case."

Buzz raised his eyebrows at him. "You generally dance around the point for an hour before getting to it. What rushes you?" It was an unloaded question simply because he might be willing to answer it.

"I have a feeling she's going to get shot but killed this time," Arkadios said harshly. Buzz sighed. He really didn't like the guard of security. He was shifty and talked in circles to confuse people. Even as the head of the police force – if not temporarily – he didn't trust most of them.

He knew of Isabel but didn't know her personally. He knew that she was one of the officers who had been transferred to doing deskwork and only that. She had been incredibly good at being an officer, he remembered.

"…and how do you know this, Katsaros?" Buzz asked, standing up and shuffling papers into a folder.

Arkadios shook his head. "Please, sir. Will you take her off the case?"

"Unless I'm given a good reason for it, I really can't," he said. "I have to pick up my boys from school. Would you excuse me?" Arkadios sighed and stepped aside.

Buzz had a suspicion that Arkadios was in on the murder plot but there was nothing tying him to it. Maybe if Isabel stayed on the case she'd find that lead.

XX

"Zero out of three," Phoebe hissed at Carlos. "How are you an award-winning boxer? It's been three hours." Carlos massaged his knuckles.

Acacius had been cut down from his ropes and was crumpled at the wall. No one had touched his face, much to Phoebe's dismay. Carlos had argued it would impede his speech if he decided to speak.

If. That was a big if.

Otherwise he looked like a red swollen mess. His ribs and stomach were a mess to the point of probable internal bleeding. Nothing too bad, though. Phoebe was sure of that.

"I'll repeat myself," Phoebe whispered intently, holding her wand between her fingers. "I'll repeat myself and you will answer if you do not want me to start cutting you up."

"Phoebe, this is… he's not going to talk."

"Would you rather die, Acacius?" she asked. "If you're going to be useless as Carlos suggested, I can kill you early. That's really the only requisite of this. You die." Acacius raised his head. His hair was stuck to his face with sweat. He was rubbing his shoulders.

"No," he croaked. "Not yet."

"Fine. Where is Kimberly?"

"I'm not telling," he replied. She roared and stepped on his hand. He groaned and shut his eyes.

"How about now?"

"No."

"Fine. Where do you keep your tapes?"

He shook out his hand. It wasn't broken, but it was injured.

"In my shirt pockets."

"You know what I mean," she asked, sounding bored. She conjured a blue mist with her wand. "You remember this, don't you? It helped you go to sleep when you were a kid. Every mother witch uses it on their kids." Acacius stared at it like a moth to flame. "See, you can do the opposite and I can give you a waking nightmare." The mist turned into a foggy black. "Do you want me to?"

He frowned. "Try me." She shot it at him and his eyes widened.

Geoff looked up and covered his ears. Phoebe's lips twisted into a smile.

"She's sadistic," Carlos whispered. "I can't go through with this." She turned to him and aimed her wand.

"Would you like to be next?"

They both shook their heads adamantly. She shrugged and turned back to Acacius. His eyes finally returned to the present and he gasped in air.

"You don't cry easily," she noticed. He just looked at the ground, his expression horrified. "Would you like me to make that excursion a reality?" He shook his head. "Answer me, then. Where are your tapes?"

"The bank," he whispered. "The second floor, number thirty-four. The code is… my father's birthday."

"Do I _look_ like a mind reader? What is it?" She asked, kicking him. He gasped. "Now!"

"Zero, six, two, two," he whispered. "June twenty-second."

She smirked at him. "Geoff, go. If you see Kim you take her, no questions asked. Got it?" The redheaded man hesitantly walked out of the room. "Now for the last bit of advice. Who are your contacts?"

He shook his head weakly. "I'll see you after I get your recordings, darling." She petted his head and walked away. Carlos looked back before following her.

"What did you show him?" he asked.

She giggled. "What will happen to his girl once we get our hands on her. He's only so scared because he knows it'll happen."

XX

_Man, sorry this was so bad and so long to get out. _


End file.
